mayo 24, 2023
Saving resources and prolonging the lifetime of industrial equipment
At one of our sites in Estonia, we recently finished a pilot project aiming at making our maintenance process more efficient. Transitioning to a meter-based maintenance approach, the project has resulted in a streamlined work process, saving resources, and prolonging the lifetime of the machines.
Recently, we finished a pilot project at one of our sites in Estonia. Moving from a time-based maintenance approach to a meter-based maintenance approach, the team has succeeded in streamlining the work process while improving the quality of the maintenance work.
– Using the actual operating time of the asset allows us to carry out planned maintenance more precisely. It helps us conduct maintenance tasks when it is really reasonable, and through that helps us save time and recourses, says Alar Luik, Quant Development Engineer.
Efficient industrial maintenance saving time and resources
Using the data collected from counters on the machines, the CMMS system will automatically generate a work order whenever an asset reaches the set limit. Preventive maintenance work will then be carried out according to schedule.
– It helps us a lot in keeping the machines running, while at the same time being able to free resources that can be used in, for example, other projects that we are doing with the customer, Alar says.
The data collection started a year ago. This data was then used to set up a maintenance schedule for the assets included in the pilot project, and after that the pilot was run for a few months. Now, it is clear that transitioning towards a meter-based maintenance approach has several benefits.
– It makes our work more sustainable, as we can make our work more precise, not wasting any resources. And as maintenance is done in a more precise manner, only when it is actually needed, it is also better for the equipment health, prolonging the lifetime of the machines, Alar says.
“This has really been a team effort”
This pilot project is now finished. The next step is implementing the same working process for other equipment at the same site. The team is also looking at potential development areas to make the work even more efficient.
– In some machines, it would be more reasonable to look at how many strokes they are doing for example, instead of how long the machine has been running. Collecting that data would make our work even more efficient and precise. Another development would be to digitalize the meter reading process, Alar says.
He points out that the transition from a time-based maintenance approach to a meter-based maintenance approach has been a real team effort, involving the whole local team collaborating with Quant colleagues working globally.
– This has really been a team effort. All employees on site have been involved in how to make this work and how to develop it further, in collaboration with global representatives who have been a great support. This is one of the factors that I have really enjoyed with this project, to have the opportunity to work in such a good team, Alar says.