Before Your 'Machine Whisperers' Retire: Enable Sensors to Tell the Story
There is a looming threat on the horizon for plant maintenance experts. The retirement of long-term equipment maintenance experts means facilities are losing a large amount of "tribal knowledge". Whether they know it or not most organizations rely heavily on their maintenance expert’s ability to 'hear' and 'feel' problems with the machinery they operate. The solution proposed in this talk is to augment the eyes and ears of these experienced maintenance experts with sensors and software. The most critical factor to monitor is vibration as this is what these maintenance experts are sensing. We'll make the case that this should be started now to fully benefit from this historical knowledge and to involve these "tribal leaders" in the effort.
Doug Elam - Nikola Labs
Leveraging Technology Platforms to Solve Common Supply Chain Issues in the Metal Industry
Industrial materials have long lead times, high costs, and large lot sizes. Complex, poorly managed, and low-tech supply chains cause frustration and disappointment when attempting to recover value from any excess material or capacity. These inherent supply chain constraints make it difficult to achieve growth via expanding product lines or entering new markets. Even growing sales with existing customers is a challenge due to the lack of agility created by long lead times and the lack of visibility in the process. Leveraging the same technology that exists in consumer channels with platforms like Amazon, there is a way for industrial metal buyers and sellers to trade materials in an open format that makes sourcing easy, fast and transparent. Technology can empower any size company in the industrial channel and add value to the entire ecosystem. Reibus can share how they have discovered new ways to develop smart platforms.
Jon Haley - Reibus International
IoT Strategies to Drive Robotic Predictive Maintenance
For years, the concept of transforming data generated by robotic IoT into useful information that helps optimize machine performance and limit unscheduled downtime has been more of an idea than a reality. Recent advancements in network solutions and technology, however, are starting to provide manufacturers with the tools necessary to make this happen. Still in their relative infancy, these innovations offer exciting potential, but many manufacturers lack the scale and skills needed to make this transition and are uneasy about exposing information in the Cloud. This presentation will provide attendees with working definitions and requirements, as well as actionable advice, need for successful robotic IoT adoption and utilization. Addressing topics from anomaly detection to asset management, the speaker will draw on real-life examples to discuss the best practices for surfacing information and identify challenges encountered during implementations.
Wesley Mershon – KUKA
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