When your workforce is out of reach, reliable remote access to industrial automation systems becomes essential to maintaining facilities and factories’ operations. In the digital world, on the other hand, some ‘personal’ work is no longer a necessity and access to the subject matter expert is usually just a click away.
Recently, the same question has been on the agenda of many industrial organizations: How can we do a better job of remote management? When your workforce is out of reach, reliable remote access to industrial automation systems becomes essential to maintaining facilities and factories’ operations. In the digital world, on the other hand, some ‘personal’ work is no longer a necessity and access to the subject matter expert is usually just a click away.
Digitalized remote management; Allows plant and plant operators to continue to adjust processes, implement maintenance practices and make operational decisions with actionable operational decisions, even with limited physical access to the facility.
1.Operators convey the problem to the management,
2,Managers send a maintenance team,
- Technical experts are consulted by e-mail and telephone to fix the problem
- Since the OEM or system integrator expert does not have a direct connection to the relevant machine, the problem is explained by phone calls,
5.According to local diagnosis, an OEM representative can board the plane to arrive at the facility to try to fix the problem.
6.As experts travel from facility to facility to manage maintenance issues, their agendas are often full, resulting in longer downtime.
7.In some cases, if the initial diagnosis is incorrect, the technician has brought in the wrong spare parts and therefore delays continue.
However, digital tools now allow experts to quickly connect remote machines to malfunctioning machines for faster diagnosis and troubleshooting. Working together, these new tools enable professionals to efficiently manage a wide range of machine maintenance issues from their corporate office, home or anywhere in the world.
Doesn’t have to be an expert in the field
These tools; It is tailored to industrial business requirements for faster change management, better machine availability, and the need to deliver faster and lower-cost operations to handle operational situations.
Schneider Electric has tested remote maintenance management tools in more than 80 manufacturing plants over the past three years as part of a global and in-house smart factory initiative for modernization and digitization. These tools combine cybersecurity remote access and augmented reality to enable remote management of machine assets on the factory floor.
Secure connection:
Using the secure connection tool, an OEM or systems integrator expert can connect to the problematic end user machine via the cybersecurity cloud connection. Then the expert; It can diagnose the problem remotely by checking the machine’s data, parameters and log information. Based on the problem identified after that, the OEM offers the fastest way to implement the repair. In fact, in some cases, the OEM may be aware of the problem even before the end user realizes that the machine is underperforming.
Enriched operator:
If the diagnosed problem is easy to fix (such as a firmware upgrade or software update), the OEM or system integrator can automatically manage the repair process using the secure cloud connection. If some operations need to be performed in the field (such as replacing a clogged filter of the machine), the augmented reality tool allows the operator to perform operations using a simple tablet or mobile phone, with or without the guidance of a remote expert. The tablet contains augmented reality images of the equipment, updated online documentation, operational procedures and even “how-to” videos for easy operation.
Additional applications speed up process changes:
Bühler, a global developer of food processing and manufacturing equipment, reduces human error by enabling employees to use augmented reality tablets while performing their duties to ensure a consistent and standardized approach in its global factories. When updates on operational procedures are available, the change is automatically passed on to the entire workforce. Thus, everyone is instantly aware of the latest procedures. These tools also help revolutionize the way machine operators are trained:
- Instead of a physical classroom with books, videos of the experts quickly provide operators with the training needed to address the current problem immediately.
- This technology helps facilitate product line changeovers by visualizing a step-by-step approach for operators to implement new procedures.
- Augmented reality tools ensure that the right steps are completed in the right order.
- The information is sent back to a central server and is available as a management report showing which operators have reviewed the new procedures, documenting when they performed transactions, and confirming whether the steps were followed.
Virtual maintenance and operations:
Transition to remote management is increasing rapidly in global factories. As machine performance improves, maintenance costs are reduced, and experts are more efficient as less time is spent traveling on the plane. This extra time is spent providing remote support to more customers. Learn more about how remote digital tools improve plant efficiency and optimize human resources.