ARTICLE

How Remote Monitoring Can Optimize Your Operations


Can a business afford to overlook better ways to manage industrial equipment and control logistics?

In many ways, remote and condition monitoring can reduce manual labour, allow machines to make decisions independently, monitor conditions, optimize safety for workers and improve machine utilization.

Condition monitoring is the application of digital-transformation technology to track machine utilization rate and other parameters that lead to an optimized production cycle. Condition monitoring utilizes digital industrial solutions such as IoT devices and edge-computing devices to track machine performance and the immediate factory-floor environment. Condition monitoring is discussed when key performance indicators are available, including overall equipment efficiency levels, total effective equipment performance rates, etc.

Remote monitoring at its core, supervises and controls diverse aspects of an industrial process from any location. These processes could be the condition of a machine, the condition of shop-floor operations, for example – not just one aspect that has been disrupted due to external factors such as changing weather conditions or other unexpected incidents. Remote monitoring can only be achieved through locally installed industrial solutions like software and hardware components (IoT devices) when controlled by a remote management system such as an IoT platform or Industrial Cloud. Data is stored centrally to provide insight into every detail within your company at any given time during production/manufacturing.

Wesco Canada’s automation team was asked to help a customer improve product stability and minimize costs by developing an IoT solution to remotely monitor and regulate the temperature and transport of a high-end lubricant. Discover the IoT solution.


Metal rolls in line factory

Endless Possibilities for Industrial Solutions

Remote monitoring is said to occur when conditioning monitoring is performed remotely. Industrial terms related to remote monitoring include machine utilization, throughput quality, and on-the-go management. Remote monitoring is an essential foundation for achieving an automated factory where human intervention is minimal.

Remote monitoring and condition monitoring share similarities, but they also have unique differences. Condition monitoring focuses on in-house activities such as unplanned downtimes and optimizes the use of equipment and assets. Remote management uses installed agents to monitor shop-floor activities from a remote location which ensures that industrial processes continue regardless of the operator being at home or away.

The Benefits of Increased Productivity and Safety

The ability to apply industrial solutions for remote monitoring can have multiple benefits. It provides the opportunity for operators to work remotely without putting themselves in danger during a pandemic, where the need to reduce staff strength and social distancing is required. Remote maintenance and repair activities are also possible through visualization technology supporting remote monitoring of machines experiencing functionality issues.

Condition monitoring is applied together with remote monitoring to achieve specific goals. Remote condition monitoring merges two abilities: monitoring assets remotely, and the access operators must have to control them remotely. As a result of this merging process, manufacturers can start digitizing to increase their equipment's condition and remote monitoring capabilities.

To discuss innovative IoT solutions and remote access capabilities, contact your local Wesco representative.




Wesco Success Story

IoT System to Improve Product Stability and Quality

safety mining