DIGITALISATION AT SCALE FEATURE SMALL STEPS ARE BETTER THAN A GIANT LEAP
Digitally-enabled improvement of industrial asset performance is most efficiently achieved through a step-by-step journey, rather than one giant leap, explains Gavin Coull, services sales manager at SKF
C
ompanies reliant on machinery are at the forefront of today’s race to
digitalise equipment, processes and even whole business models. Their objective is added value, through better productivity, reliability and agility. In fact, there are many new sources of value to pursue, using various digital technologies. The range of opportunities and
approaches available has created digitalisation’s biggest challenge: how to capture value at scale. Adding to this complexity is the diversity of asset types and the problems they face. Even similar assets may differ in their operating conditions or their criticality to the business. This means digital approaches cannot simply be cut and pasted from one situation to another. To help promote digitalisation at scale
and avoid wasting time and resources on the wrong solutions, businesses should apply incremental, continuous, bottom- up improvements. Provided with the right tools and support, frontline teams can identify new sources of value and capture them. In some ways, digitalisation is like a ‘supercharged’ version of lean improvement. For senior leaders, critical roles in digital
transformation include setting top-down and bottom-up lines of sight and communicating their vision throughout the company. They must also ensure that IT infrastructure, training, digital skillsets and other enablers are in place. Each company should develop a new set
of tools and approaches which its teams can modify and apply across all assets. This can be compared to a traditional lean toolbox, used to improve operational productivity, quality or flexibility through methods such as root-cause problem solving. A digital toolbox may instead contain tools such as remote condition monitoring, advanced analytics and collaborative robotics. As the digital journey progresses,
management must make sure that gaining value remains the focus of all related activities. New technology, however impressive, should only be applied if it truly adds value. Resources should not be spent on improvements whose effect on overall business performance is relatively insignificant. Clear targets should be set, in terms of
Provision of equipment and services
relating to condition-based maintenance, a high priority in many digital toolboxes, is a good example. These tools are vital to monitoring machine health, predicting future problems and effectively scheduling maintenance interventions. Choosing the ideal solution for a specific
key performance indicators, to judge whether specific investments are worthwhile. Leaders must understand the rationale for each development, prioritise the allocation of resources between activities appropriately, review their impacts regularly and use the results to inform further planning. No individual company, however large,
can expect to be an expert on all aspects of digital technology, or to have the ability to build every digital application from scratch. It makes sense to collaborate with an organisation which can fill in the necessary expertise.
SKF Enlight Centre dashboards, tailored to workflows, benefit businesses through the power of Big Data
asset and set of circumstances, from the multitude of sensors and data analysis technologies on offer, requires deep specialist knowledge. Condition-based maintenance support
The REP programme helps in delivering digitalisation’s promise to make businesses and their equipment more productive, reliable and agile, and enhances safety and sustainability. However, for successful implementation of digitalisation at scale companies will need a manageable, stepwise approach, an effective digital toolbox, an understanding of the tools’ use and collaboration with good partners
from SKF increases the customer’s visibility on machinery health and turns data into insights to improve performance. SKF’s digitally enabled solutions are built into its Rotating Equipment Performance (REP) programme. This has five main areas of focus: • Assessing - key areas for improvement
are identified and benchmarked • Detecting - impending machine
failures are detected and unplanned downtime is avoided • Maintaining - tools and mechanical
maintenance services are selected for optimum day-to-day operational health of all rotating equipment • Solving - problems are fixed using
application engineering, lubrication, spare parts management, root-cause analysis and other solutions • Rebuilding - remanufacturing options
extend asset life, cut maintenance costs and improve sustainability Digitalisation is aided by Internet of
Things (IoT) connectivity solutions. The SKF Cloud enables data storage and sharing, while SKF Enlight Centre dashboards, tailored to workflows, benefit businesses through the power of Big Data. Users can base decisions on the easy-to- understand data interpretation provided by these facilities or connect directly to SKF for expert diagnostics, analysis, insights and advice. To make the digital journey even more
Condition-based maintenance support from SKF increases the customer’s visibility on machinery health and turns data into insights to improve performance
comfortable, with minimal worries about cost and complexity, customers can choose SKF’s performance-based Rotation for Life option. Under a contract with an agreed monthly fixed fee, SKF supplies application-specific digital technologies which allow companies to move ahead at their own pace.
SKF
www.skf.co.uk
PROCESS & CONTROL | OCTOBER 2019 37
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