We talk so much about the value of data today that it becomes easy to forget that too much data—or data that is not useful— can be just as much of a problem as not having any at all. This idea is at the heart of Drew Mackley’s recent contribution to an article in Food Engineering magazine. As more and more plants focus on maintenance as part of their digital transformation strategy, they are adding lots of instrumentation. But having the right instrumentation is just as important as having enough.
Consider the fact that today’s operations and maintenance teams are increasingly relying on smaller teams of less experienced personnel. The people who have decades of experience are retiring in droves, and the workers replacing them are rarely staying in one role for more than two to three years.
Few of these new, less experienced personnel can quickly make sense of spectrum and waveform data and turn it into actionable information. They need fast solutions to help them turn data into action. Fortunately, best-in-class automation provides simple, easy to understand asset health information to users in the control room, in the field, or anywhere else they may find themselves.
“Embedded PeakVue plus technology for vibration analysis with automated and/or periodic monitoring technologies—such as the Emerson AMS 2140, AMS Wireless Vibration Monitor, AMS Asset Monitor and AMS Machine Works—cut through the complexity of machinery health analysis by providing a simple, reliable indication of equipment health via a single trend.”
The right tool for the right job
For technicians looking to take vibration data and analysis to the next level, the AMS 2140 machinery health analyzer and AMS Trex provide detection capabilities right at the asset for faster data collection and the earliest indication of bearing and gearbox degradation.
The AMS Wireless Vibration Monitor takes sensing to the next level, providing continuous monitoring of assets in a small, affordable form factor that can be installed quickly by a plant’s own technicians. Once in place, the wireless vibration monitor delivers full vibration data over a self-organizing wireless mesh network. Users can quickly and easily see diagnostic data to help them identify, isolate, and trend machinery health problems without the need to visit each asset.
AMS Asset Monitor takes machinery health to a whole new level with the ability to monitor some process variables alongside vibration data and apply built-in analytics to quickly identify the most common faults in assets such as fans, motors, gearboxes, pumps, and other rotating machinery. Reliability, operations, and maintenance personnel can quickly see asset health and identify problems from any web-enabled device, providing users of any level of expertise the capability to react quickly.
Software as a solution
The best hardware in the industry is also supported by powerful industrial software options including Emerson’s AMS Machine Works. Combining predictive maintenance techniques with powerful analysis tools, AMS Machine Works can bring all a plant’s asset health data into a single pane of glass, helping teams better identify issues and more quickly prioritize service.
To further level up their capabilities, many of today’s forward-thinking organizations are also implementing AMS Optics for enterprise reliability. AMS Optics brings all an organization’s asset health data into a single, comprehensive platform for simplified data management, automated workflows, and enhanced decision support.
There’s never been a more exciting time to be involved in automation. Operators and technicians have access to a wider variety of tools than ever before, helping them improve visibility, optimize maintenance, increase flexibility and mobility, and, most importantly, improve decision making. Investing in modern technologies today will help teams secure the competitive advantage they need to succeed in an ever-changing marketplace. The tools to do more are there—for the teams ready to embrace them.
