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MACHINERY & MACHINE SAFETY T
he production equipment is down - unplanned. The task now is to act quickly so that production can be resumed, and delivery deadlines can be met. But who carries out the
maintenance? The operator on site? Are the skills, tools and experience at their disposal sufficient to repair the machine? Or is support needed here - possibly even from an external service provider? What does their deployment cost and how quickly can they be on site? And with all the necessary urgency: Are safety for personnel, equipment and product ensured at all times and are all regulations observed? The situation is stressful for everyone involved, whether they are the plant operator, the operator or part of the maintenance staff. And yet it is part of everyday life in modern production plants: More than 60 per cent of asset managers surveyed in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Trend Report 2021 from IFS Ultimo say they have been affected by unplanned downtime in their equipment in the past year.
NECESSITY RECOGNISED - BUT OFTEN INSUFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION If you want to keep a cool head and make rational decisions here, you need the greatest possible transparency about the options available, optimum cooperation between all departments and those involved, and ultimately cost control. Because only if the costs of the repair are in reasonable proportion to the shortest possible downtime is the economic viability of the measure assured. The same applies to the management of planned maintenance so that, in the best case, unplanned downtime does not occur in the first place. Knowledge of these priorities is generally present in companies: For example, in the study cited above, they indicated that across all sectors, uptime (about 34 per cent), efficiency (about 30 per cent) and cost control (about 20 per cent) are the most important key performance indicators for asset managers. All too often, however, the targeted implementation of appropriate measures fails.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: DATA SILOS AND COST CONTROL Communication gaps and data silos that prevent efficient sharing and use of data, knowledge and experience are repeatedly cited as reasons for this. It is hardly surprising that companies see great potential here for improving their internal processes. Very often, maintenance tasks, repairs, and
asset condition data are stored in Excel lists, on paper, or even just in the heads of those involved. This makes it nearly impossible to share information across all departments, let alone provide a holistic view of all assets, activities, and associated costs in a piece of equipment or organisation. If operators want to make well- founded maintenance and repair decisions as well as economic decisions, they must have all the facts and figures at their disposal in a transparent manner. This is the only way to efficiently reduce downtime to a minimum and implement measures in a cost-efficient manner.
MORE EFFICIENT PROCESSES WITH EAM SOLUTIONS The remedy here is the digitisation of all relevant data, processes and know-how, for example, with the IFS Ultimo Enterprise Asset Management system. It is specifically designed to collect, share and analyse this information in a central place for all stakeholders in an organisation so that the best possible results can be found, and informed decisions can be made based on it. This gives companies a comprehensive overview of their equipment and assets, enabling them to reduce downtime and optimise the efficiency of their maintenance. Extensive tools for cost control also ensure the cost-effectiveness of the measures. Modern, cloud-based EAM software such as
IFS Ultimo makes the data available accordingly to any authorised user, whether they access it with a PC, tablet or smartphone. This also enables, for example, direct access while at the machine - from querying historical maintenance data to maintenance by an operator, supported
and guided by a maintenance expert remotely connected to the equipment. Task planning, checklists and documentation within the EAM system ensure that all tasks are performed consistently, regardless of the operator or maintenance staff. In this way, knowledge and best practice are used efficiently and secured and passed on within the company.
AUTONOMOUS MAINTENANCE: SHARED RESPONSIBILITY ENSURES BEST POSSIBLE MAINTENANCE IFS Ultimo's functionality around equipment and machinery goes much further than this, enabling a whole new level of effectiveness and efficiency in maintenance through decentralised distributed responsibility. This gives the operator a shared responsibility for the condition of the equipment and the continuous improvement of productivity. They are closest to the machine, know its condition and can see an impending failure far in advance. In addition, the operator can react immediately and carry out a necessary action.
BETTER COLLABORATION,
LOWER MAINTENANCE COSTS: PRODUCTION, MAINTENANCE
MANAGEMENT AND QHSE IN BALANCE Reducing equipment failures and downtime to a minimum is the key to greater productivity and efficiency in industrial manufacturing. At the same time, the costs for maintenance must remain within limits and the safety of all involved must be guaranteed. Smart solutions help to find the perfect balance, make informed decisions and comply with requirements.
26 NOVEMBER 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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