IoT - The Future of Maintenance

IoT  Based Maintenance Scheduling – Perhaps the most accurate, least expensive and lowest labor requirement process to schedule predefined inspections, lubrication, lubricant changes, adjustments and TCC (time compliant change-out), with respect to wear components, and 24/7 monitoring and supervision of process’s, assets, security and equipment components available.

IoT based scheduling unlike calendar based or Meter and Gauge based is Preventive Maintenance scheduling based upon the result data gathering from a single source such as a meter type sensor, to highly complicated multiple source point sensors. The data is gathered based upon specific guidelines, simple or complex calculations are completed, trends are analyzed and decisions are made via SOMAX to initialize triggers. Once the trigger or activity request is generated the SOMAX system generates based upon the manufacturer’s recommendations, past failure analysis or tribal knowledge, an activity. The activity could be as simple as “grease the bearing”, to as complicated as “rebuild main line drive assembly”.   No matter what the activity SOMAX generates the necessary tasks, lubrication's and inspections that have been defined by the user, builds the necessary Preventive Maintenance work order, assigns the work order to the predefined technician, including all attachments, and transfers the work order to the work order scheduled table. The exception with IoT is the ability to generate IMMEDIATE alerts, sending the urgent text message and / or if necessary e-mail depending on the priority settings in the SOMAX system.

IoT Based Advantages :

• The scheduling as it applies to Preventive Maintenance is completely removed from the user.

• Further simplifies the scheduling and planning the system does it all, if spares are attached to the process ordering is simplified

• Costs are reduced as the maintenance is only requested based on the machine requesting the service, in other words “Fix me, I am failing” there are no wasted resources for inspection.

•  PLC based supervision incorporated with IoT allows for tracking ALL aspects of the operation, including throughput, quality, and cost systems sharing data.

• Lowers necessary hard labor costs in having maintenance in reserve while machinery is in operation

• Lowers cost of failures, supervised machines have predictable failures.

IoT Based Disadvantages :

• Higher initial cost for sensors, installation, and system integrations

• Annual or monthly node fees typically a small fee per site