What does it mean to reach Preventive Maintenance 4.0?  

Industry 4.0 is the term used to describe the ongoing transformation of the manufacturing industry using a host of digital technologies including automation systems, cloud computing, and Augmented Reality. What was a buzz word a decade ago is fast becoming an industry necessity. According to a recent study, 58% of maintenance executives in the Manufacturing industry believe that Industry 4.0 technology provides them with a competitive edge. As a result of the changing times, manufacturers are looking to redefine preventive maintenance in the age of Industry 4.0.

‍Let's discuss how the advent of Industry 4.0 is transforming preventive maintenance operations in Manufacturing.

Preventive Maintenance—Before Industry 4.0      

Before Industry 4.0, preventive maintenance was focused almost exclusively on planning and executing maintenance-related tasks before any machine damage or malfunction was reported. This led to the emergence of two different  modes of preventive maintenance:

• Predetermined maintenance that was performed according to a fixed schedule irrespective of the prevailing machine condition. This maintenance mode required manufacturers to stock up on their spare parts and materials, thus adding to their inventory costs.
• Condition-based maintenance that scheduled the maintenance work based on the machine condition. Condition based maintenance was limited by the amount of available information for the machine or equipment.

These two modes were exclusively performed using paper based processes. With its paper-based manual processes, preventive maintenance measures were limited for business needs due to the following reasons:

• Machine data was limited to what technicians could see when performing service tasks  and the data they collected was unavailable in real-time.
• Machine data was “siloed” where issues could be detected only after they resulted in machine breakdowns.
• Lack of communication among front line teams relying mainly on paperwork.
• Lack of actionable data to perform “root cause” analysis of any machine problem.

Preventive Maintenance—After Industry 4.0

So what's the solution? Industry or Manufacturing 4.0 can transform preventive maintenance by providing front line operators with the right information at the right time. Industry 4.0 solutions enable:

• Real-time monitoring of machine condition using installed sensors that can be accessed by all maintenance operators on multiple devices including computers, smartphones, and Smart Glasses.
• Improved visibility into daily operations along with real-time data to drive decision-making and resource allocation.
• Immediate notification to operators of an upcoming maintenance task or activity, along with information of machine condition.

Next, let’s see how a Front Line Worker Platform can help in optimizing preventive maintenance for Industry 4.0.

How Front Line Worker Platforms Enable PM in Industry 4.0

A low code/no code Front Line or Connected Worker Platform serves as an integrated system that can convey all maintenance-related information to your front line technicians on any device they naturally use in the flow of work (Mobile, tablet, laptop or Smart Glasses). Here are some of its benefits:

1. Schedule repetitive PM jobs to right worker with elevated work instructions
2. Automatically generate reports with digital workflows required to perform preventive maintenance tasks.
3. Instant notification and messaging of immediate maintenance tasks to the right personnel through the platform.
4. AR-based remote assistance from subject matter experts to front line operators for real-time resolution of detected problems.
5. Measuring any major deviation from standard maintenance procedures by front line operators to find inefficiencies and eliminate them.
6. Digital workflows allow for storing and sending real-time data from front line operations to the management team to improve preventive maintenance operations.

Conclusion

Reaching Preventive Maintenance Industry 4.0 requires capturing real-time manufacturing data and making it accessible for key stakeholders, who can leverage data insights to improve their maintenance operations. A Front Line Worker Platform is an essential operations management engine for manufacturers looking to make their transition to Industry 4.0.

As a technology company in the manufacturing domain, Atheer can elevate the quality of your preventive maintenance with its low code/no code Connected Worker Platform designed to empower your front line workforce with the support they need to accomplish their tasks faster, better and more safely.

In a world of strained supply chains and growing skilled labour gaps digitization has become an inevitability. It's time to get rid of error prone paper based processes and let your front line teams focus on the work they were trained to do. Atheer elevates operational efficiency and increases OEE by improving machine monitoring and service task quality.  Ready to get in early and get an advantage over your competitors?