Gone are the days where equipment must be serviced on a set schedule. IoT technology helps enable maintenance based on equipment use. For instance, in an IoT solution for heavy equipment, cloud-based machine analytic sensors detect depleted parts and hardware before failure that extends the lifecycle of the components. Equipment health status monitoring ensures that over-used equipment components receive maintenance sooner than later, while lightly used products aren’t serviced unnecessarily.
It has also been revealed that more than one-third of the maintenance spend is wasted in ineffective or unnecessary upkeep. But what if there was a way to reduce unnecessary maintenance costs? What if there was a way to not only stop spending money on unnecessary maintenance and prevent paying the steep prices from emergency breakdowns, is it something you would consider?
It is important to distinguish between predicative and preventative maintenance. Unlike preventative maintenance, which seeks to decrease the likelihood of an equipment failure through the performance of regular maintenance, predictive maintenance relies on data to determine a machine’s likelihood of failure before that failure occurs. This allows heavy equipment manufacturers and fleet managers to move from a repair and replace model to a predict and fix maintenance model using predictive analysis — which relies on data, statistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and modeling to make predictions about future outcomes.
Manufacturers and service technicians are now utilizing smart sensors to improve the maintenance process and avoid inefficient routines and the costs that go along with them. Essentially, the preventative maintenance technology allows heavy equipment OEMs and fleet managers to analyze the operational data from each piece of equipment to identify any patterns that emerge to predict when maintenance will be required. All in all, proactively maintaining off-road equipment as opposed to unnecessary time-based maintenance or relying on reactive maintenance can create real economic value by lowering overall operating costs and prevent major headaches for the OEMs and fleet managers.
Proactive maintenance with an IoT solution specifically designed for heavy off-road equipment can not only drastically reduce the amount of time and money spent on maintaining equipment, but also extend the longevity of the equipment.
Thanks to a combination of IoT and machine learning, technicians are not only able to remotely check the condition of in-service equipment, the equipment provides guidance as to when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintenance because tasks are performed only when necessary.
Off-road equipment with IoT technology, such as Parker’s Mobile IoT, has the ability to send detailed information to the maintenance department without having to send a technician to a job site. If onsite maintenance is required, the data provided will ensure that the technician has the right tools and parts on the first trip, which can reduce downtime, labor and travel costs.
Predictive and remote monitoring maintenance are just two examples of how IoT is a game changer in the mobile equipment industry. The opportunities that we have to positively improve maintenance costs on heavy or off-road equipment is too valuable to leave unexplored. Don’t wait for another breakdown to happen. Be proactive and prevent catastrophes and unnecessary costs by monitoring the equipment and stopping the problems before they happen and schedule a Parker Mobile IoT demo today.
Article contributed by Clint Quanstrom, IoT general manager, and Kyri McDonough, marketing communications manager, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
Other related topics on Parker Mobile IoT solution:
The ROI of IOT for OEMs
The Strategic Approach to Fleet Optimization for Heavy Equipment
Connecting the Dots Between IoT Data and Equipment Efficiency for OEMs
Delivering Visibility and Reducing Fleet Management Costs