TEST & MAINTENANCE A LEAP OF FAITH THAT PAYS OFF
Simon Atherton, head of service at The Sempre Group, outlines the importance of servicing and offers advice on where manufacturers can make improvements
A
n unexpectedly idle production line in the automotive industry costs manufacturers over £17,000 a minute,
per line or almost £1 million an hour. Annually servicing equipment by programming software and calibrating or replacing parts ensures metrology systems are running as efficiently as possible and not causing unexpected downtime. Carrying out proactive, rather than reactive,
servicing on equipment allows manufacturers to focus on their productivity, instead of fixing unreliable machines and managing unexpected downtime. Irregular servicing and calibration of
equipment leaves manufacturers open to the uncertainty of results and expensive repercussions, such as recalling faulty products, which can impact on the company’s reputation. Consider this example
— a medical device manufacturer hasn’t calibrated their Micro-Vu Excel for a while, so it’s inaccurately measuring multiple stents at a time. The defect goes undetected, so these non-compliant stents are fitted into patients’ arteries and fail to keep blocked passageways open, putting the patient at serious risk. Is cutting servicing costs really worth these dangerous repercussions? Once manufacturers have identified faulty
equipment, they must act quickly to resolve the issue and avoid expensive downtime. Manufacturers may choose to use same day or 24/7 callout engineers to solve issues quickly, but these callouts can be far more costly per hour. Alternatively, choosing to troubleshoot problems in-house and buying replacement parts when needed can further extend periods of downtime and increase
RUGGED AND RELIABLE THERMAL IMAGERS
Fluke has launched two new rugged, reliable and accurate thermal imagers, the TiS55+ and TiS75+, which are suitable for carrying out preventative maintenance. Designed for one-handed use, the infrared inspection tools easily
capture professional, high quality images of hot spots on machines and factory equipment, ensuring potential problems are caught before they lead to failures. Both models provide a sharp, clear view of potential issues, and can be used by customers with no infrared imaging experience. Jai Gandhi, sales program manager at Fluke said: “The new TiS55+ and
TiS75+ thermal imagers give maintenance teams the chance to move away from cumbersome clipboards and notebooks by adopting a wireless, one-step transfer of measurements. Quick and easy to use, the thermal imagers give customers the confidence to make maintenance decisions based on robust and traceable data, ensuring factory equipment can achieve maximum uptime.” Able to store around 500 images, both thermal imagers come with built-
in personal assistants that organise captured images and allow users to add their own information. Key features include: • Voice annotation – Users can record instant notes with up to 60 seconds of voice recording for each thermal image. • IR-Photo Notes – Users can add visible light photos to the thermal image file and use those as a reference when analysing results. • Asset Tagging – Users can scan a QR code on an asset to automatically organise and file thermal images. This eliminates data-entry errors by saving measurements directly from the camera and associating them with the asset record. Fluke
www.fluke.com 44 MARCH 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL
Servicing teams, like The Sempre Group’s, offer a
range of services, such as 24-hour remote support
maintenance costs as engineers spend time maintaining equipment and sourcing parts. Manufacturers might think carrying out
their own servicing could cut callout costs but investing in an experienced service team will save more. Fewer, but timelier, calibrations prevents inexperienced engineers accidentally damaging expensive components and reduces the number of costly emergency repairs required. Servicing metrology equipment also requires specialist calibration artifacts that can cost thousands, so manufacturers may not want to take on these costs by servicing in-house. We suggest hiring an experienced and trained servicing team, like The Sempre Group’s, who ensure that all quality management systems are ISO 9001 compliant, putting manufacturers at ease that their systems are always accurate. At a time when manufacturers want to cut
costs, it might seem difficult to take the leap of faith and invest in servicing, but it is a risk that will always pay off. Manufacturers can start their servicing journey by contacting a servicing team to discuss their specific needs, from training staff on how to use equipment correctly to achieving UKAS accredited calibration on a Micro-VU. Some servicing teams, like The Sempre Group’s, offer a range of services, such as 24-hour remote support, to ensure they receive the best results and provide the best customer experience. Annual visits for calibration and servicing also ensure that the customer’s systems are running optimally. Accurate metrology equipment allows
manufacturers to assess data to pre-empt equipment issues, reduce the amount of unexpected downtime and avoid the millions of pounds that could be lost per hour. Working closely with a servicing team allows an expert to focus on ensuring equipment is reliable and accurate, while the manufacturing team can focus on producing quality goods.
The Sempre Group
www.thesempregroup/service-calibration- support/
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