Downtime is destructive, disruptive and costly and it stifles productivity and efficiency. The traditional solution to minimising downtime is to maintain sufficient levels of replacement components and then get them in situ as soon as possible when production becomes affected. The problems with this approach are the high cost of holding stock, the fact that the production team is reactive rather than proactive and the inability to predict or plan for disruption.
Technology around asset tagging and tracking has advanced significantly in recent years. Individual parts within a piece of equipment or machine can now be tagged. Another game changer is the ability to tag and track a component using a low cost hand-held device onto which an asset tracking app has been downloaded.
Essentially a label attached to a component contains a 128-bit barcode and all the relevant information needed on that particular part. This information could include the product’s history and replacement information, customised instructions for maintenance, repair and operations and a full bill of materials – hose, fittings, accessories, length, cleaning specifications and lot number. Other key data that could be held on the rugged label includes customer contact information, assembly date, fluid and environmental data and system information.
It therefore becomes possible for the user to record, manage and retrieve all critical data on an asset. This enables replacement to be speeded up considerably, regardless of where or when the original component was created. Because there is no need to wait for removal of the old component before acquiring the new one, transaction time can be cut and the end-user can make massive productivity gains through a much higher level of uptime.
The other half of the equation is the simplicity with which data can now be sent to stockists immediately and replacement components sourced so much faster. Most important of all is the ability to take action before failure occurs. Because component labels confirm the date of manufacture and contain vital information relating to warranty, inspection or maintenance, this data can be used to set alerts and drive product-specific replacement instructions; and with the use of web-driven technology, this makes MRO planning so much easier.
The Parker Tracking System (PTS) from Parker Hannifin uses the latest web-based application architecture, which not only tracks and measures replacement history but also connects with distributors and channel partners around the world to ensure components are available when they are needed – and even before.
The beauty of such a system is that it can be accessed securely through any Internet connection and can be used onsite on a variety of mobile devices. It can also be paired with other applications to provide a truly integrated asset management solution, linking up with an audit and scheduled replacement programme to prevent failure before it happens.
Exclusive to the ParkerStore network, the PTS mobile app – which can be used on Apple and Android devices – gives users access to a faster, easier and more accurate replacement experience. The user simply scans the barcode on a PTS tag and locates the part’s record in Parker’s global database. The replacement part can then be ordered via an e-mail generated automatically by the app, with precise details sent to a local distributor for quoting and processing. This means that an identical replacement part can be sourced before the customer arrives at the distributor or the finished assembly can be delivered directly to the customer’s site.
For easy pickup, the app even shows a map with directions to the nearest distributor using the user’s smartphone GPS. If the product in question is not tagged or it is hard to identify, the user can simply photograph the part and send the photo to a distributor to help identify the item. Finally, all details of the asset can be exported to Excel reports for easy reporting and management.
However, the real benefit of such an app is that all of the above can happen in a virtual environment without the need for lengthy and inconvenient downtime. The huge advantage of being able to plan maintenance proactively in this way is that machinery on the shopfloor can stay in operation while the engineer is waiting for the new part to arrive. This means that the only downtime incurred will be when the replacement work is being carried out.
In today’s competitive world, uptime is everything and so it makes sense to embrace Internet-based technology and mobile apps to banish lengthy downtime to the history books.
For more information contact Lisa de Beer, Parker Hannifin SA, +27 (0)11 961 0700, [email protected], www.parker.com/za
| Tel: | +27 11 961 0700 |
| Fax: | +27 11 392 7213 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.parker.com/za |
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