Schaeffler, which specialises in condition monitoring systems (CMS) for machines and systems, is introducing its award-winning OPTIME solution in Singapore and South Korea to enable industrial customers to predict and prevent unplanned downtimes
“We are expanding our scope in the region to provide analysis which enables maintenance teams to predict machine problems and act appropriately. As a result, our customers reduce downtime and increase the profitability of their machinery,” said David Nevin, industrial president for South East Asia at Schaeffer.
OPTIME is an innovative plug and play condition monitoring system for machines that prevents unplanned downtime through the use of predictive analysis. Installation can be done on existing machines as OPTIME’s vibration sensors are activated via NFC. All sensors then automatically connect to each other and the gateway to form a mesh network to begin condition monitoring.
The OPTIME system consists of three components:
- Wireless, battery-powered vibration and temperature sensors that can be attached directly to machines
- A gateway that receives the data from the sensors
- A digital service that analyses the data using proprietary algorithms that draw upon Schaeffler’s extensive technical expertise
The system is easy to put into operation, can be used without any specialist knowledge.
In Asia Pacific, the solution is also available in Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand. Schaeffler expects to launch OPTIME in Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam in the coming months
Hassle-free condition monitoring
The analytical system behind all Schaeffler CMS offerings provides an advance warning period of several weeks and specific recommendations for action. As a result, in-house maintenance personnel or even service companies can plan maintenance measures, personnel utilisation, and the procurement of replacement parts in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
As such, Schaeffler targets companies operating in system-intensive industries, where avoiding unplanned downtime means greater profitability.
Through the OPTIME smartphone or desktop app, companies can have a constant eye on the status of their plant, even with hundreds of machines, as the messages are user-friendly and prioritised according to criticality, according to Nevin.
“As a result, in-house maintenance personnel or even service companies can plan maintenance measures, personnel utilisation, and the procurement of replacement parts in a timely and cost-efficient manner. They have the flexibility to decide whether they want to draw on other services and if so, which ones. The modular service concept offers online, remote or on-site services,” he added.
An integrated solution
OPTIME now integrates Schaeffler’s SmartCheck and ProLink solutions. OPTIME therefore covers condition monitoring for a very wide range of machines and often even entire plants.
With the latest update, three IoT-capable hardware solutions can now be connected, making condition monitoring for a very wide range of machines and often even entire plants a possibility. Status reports for all systems are clearly visualised in the OPTIME app.
In addition, Schaeffler’s CMS solutions can be used without needing extra qualifications because the system configuration and data analysis are largely automated. This is essential for users of digital services in the industrial environment as they expect the information provided to be easily understood and the hardware and software to be uncomplicated to get around.
“This integrated knowledge is integral not only to the highly scalable OPTIME solution with wireless single-channel sensors, but also to the two systems for machines with dynamic speed and load conditions and involving environments with temperatures in excess of 85 degrees Celsius – the single-channel CMS SmartCheck and the multi-channel CMS ProLink. With condition monitoring solutions from Schaeffler, operators and maintenance personnel have an expert eye tracking the condition of practically every machine in the plant via the app,” Nevin said.
