Asset reliability is fast becoming a top priority among manufacturers. The global asset reliability management market is expected to soar past $8 billion—or even as high as $32 billion—by 2031.
No surprise there. Manufacturers know what they stand to gain by improving the reliability of their assets. A recent study by IoT Analytics reveals that, across 11 industries, the median unplanned downtime cost is $125,000 per hour.
In addition to creating chaos on the plant floor, unplanned downtime results in production losses, expensive repairs and replacements, and missed deadlines. These are costs manufacturers can no longer afford to write off.
If you could eliminate unplanned downtime for good, think of what it would mean for your organization. This is where condition monitoring services come into play. By keeping a close eye on your machinery's health, you can catch issues early, reduce unexpected breakdowns, and maximize asset reliability.
What is Condition Monitoring and Why Is It Important?
Condition monitoring is the continuous or periodic collection and analysis of data from machinery to detect early signs of wear or failure. This proactive approach allows you to identify potential problems before they escalate into costly repairs or downtime. Instead of waiting for equipment to fail, you can use condition monitoring to make informed and timely decisions about maintenance and repairs.
Condition monitoring provides a degree of precision and visibility that can transform your operation. With the help of leading-edge technology and expert support, you can easily maximize production and output, minimize disruptions, reduce maintenance costs, and increase the lifespan of your equipment.
How Condition Monitoring Services Work
Condition monitoring services can include vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermal imaging, and ultrasonic testing. Vibration analysis, for example, can detect misalignments or imbalance in rotating machinery. Oil analysis can reveal contamination or wear particles, indicating that a component may be deteriorating.
A single condition monitoring technique can provide valuable insights, but when you use multiple techniques in combination, you'll get a a more holistic view. Expert analysis and support—ideally, from a dedicated condition monitoring engineer (CME)—can help you pinpoint the most urgent risks and decide the best course of action.
Why Level Up to Predictive Maintenance?
Predictive maintenance is a maintenance strategy that uses condition monitoring data to predict when equipment will need servicing. When compared with more traditional approaches—reactive maintenance (fixing things after they break) and preventive maintenance (servicing equipment on a fixed schedule, regardless of need)—predictive maintenance offers the biggest gains by far.
With predictive maintenance, you'll perform maintenance only when necessary. This optimizes resource use, reduces labor costs, and minimizes downtime. Manufacturers in every sector have embraced predictive maintenance because it offers the perfect balance between reliability and cost-efficiency.
If you're focused on traditional KPIs such as Mean Time Between Failures, your asset reliability management program could use an upgrade. Watch the on-demand webinar "New Perspectives on Reliability Metrics" to learn how you can measure success in a downtime-free environment.
Vibration Monitoring: Essential for Rotating Machinery
Vibration monitoring is one of the most effective condition monitoring techniques for rotating machinery. It works by measuring the vibration patterns of equipment and identifying anomalies that may indicate problems. Industries that rely heavily on rotating equipment—such as food and beverage, metals and processing, and paper and packaging—gain significant benefits from monitoring critical assets such as pumps, motors, and turbines.
Components of a Vibration Monitoring System
Today's most advanced vibration monitoring systems include remote triaxial sensors that attach to machinery to detect vibration and temperature levels, hardware that collects and transmits data from the sensors, and a cloud-based software platform that processes and interprets the data using advanced AI. As issues are detected, the software generates real-time alerts.
By combining these systems with dedicated expert support to filter out false positives, help identify root causes, and provide prescriptive recommendations, maintenance teams have everything they need to keep equipment running smoothly while making best use of their resources.
Data Collection Techniques in Vibration Monitoring
Vibration data can be collected two ways, often done in conjunction: continuously or at scheduled intervals (route-based monitoring).
Continuous vibration monitoring is geared more for Tier 1 assets—those that are most critical to keeping production up and running and/or most costly to repair. Emerging isues need to be identified right away so maintenance teams have ample runway for scheduling repairs.
Route-based monitoring is better suited for less critical Tier 2 and Tier 3 assets, with periodic data capture helping to provide a complete picture of asset health across your production line.
Real-World Value of Condition Monitoring Services
As soon as plants make the transition from reactive to predictive maintenance via condition monitoring, they begin to see value right away. Rather than having to respond to catastrophic breakdowns, with production ground to a halt for hours or days, maintenance teams identify and resolve issues early in a calm, efficient manner. The bottom-line savings can be significant. So can the effect on worker safety, well-being, and retention.
Prime Example: Food Manufacturer Sees Critical Last-Minute Win
A leading food manufacturer faced imminent equipment failure. A compressor’s ODE end bearings showed a sudden rapid increase in vibration, and the plant’s dedicated CME suspected an inner race defect with bearing cage activity. He alerted the maintenance team, recommending immediate shutdown of the compressor until the bearings could be inspected.
The team confirmed the female shaft ODE bearings needed to be replaced. Their quick action drastically lowered acceleration levels, thus preventing production losses and eliminating the need for a new compressor. Total savings: $621,911.
Asset saves can be achieved simply but have a dramatic impact. Check out these examples of early detection, effective action, and huge losses avoided thanks to advanced condition monitoring.
Key to Maximizing ROI: Choose Your Provider Wisely
When it comes to choosing a condition monitoring service provider, there are many important questions to consider. For example:
• Is there a free trial period?
• Is the hardware included, or will that be an upfront expense?
• Will you need to take care of the installation and ongoing maintenance yourself?
• Will the system offer high resolution at low speeds?
• Will you have experienced, dedicated support assigned to our plant?
Make sure you fully understand the upfront, ongoing, and hidden costs of any offering—not just the initial invetment, but also the resources you'll need to commit long term to ensure your condition monitoring program is successful. Ideally, your provider is ready to partner with you fully and assume most of the ongoing demands.
Here are a few other key considerations in your search for the right provider.
Opt for Wireless Systems for Peak Flexibility
Wireless condition monitoring systems offer many important benefits. They eliminate the need for complex wiring, making it easier to deploy monitoring solutions across various equipment types and locations. This flexibility allows for cost-effective monitoring as well as ease of scaling to meet your operational needs.
Get More Value with End-to-End Services
Look for providers that offer a full suite of monitoring techniques and a turnkey solution that spans from initial criticality assessment to full install to ongoing maintenance. If they offer resources and tools you can use to optimize asset management, even better.
Your support team should include a certified analyst (best case, CAT III or higher) who is dedicated to your plant and in your time zone so they can catch issues in their earliest stages and respond quickly with actionable insights.
Look for an All-in-One Platform with Easy CMMS Integration
Your condition monitoring solution should be built to integrate multiple monitoring techniques—vibration, oil analysis, thermal imaging, and more—into a unified platform. This comprehensive view (for one, multiple, or all sites) improves diagnostic accuracy and simplifies decision-making from the plant level to the corporate level.
Any solution you choose should easily integrate with your existing systems. A simple integration with your CMMS, for automated maintenance workflows and tracking, is must have.
Safeguard Your Assets with Condition Monitoring and Transform Your KPIs
As the primary means of boosting asset reliability, reducing costs, and maximizing productivity in modern manufacturing environments, condition monitoring services are a must have. Investing in the right condition monitoring solution today means fewer surprises tomorrow, so make sure you understand both the capabilities and costs going in.
Interested in learning how condition monitoring can enhance key KPIs such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)? Our recent whitepaper, The Role of Condition Monitoring in Enhancing Key Performance Indicators, explains how. Get your free copy today.
