What is predictive monitoring?

Predictive monitoring uses machine learning to analyze data from IoT sensors in order to track even small changes in conditions in manufacturing plants. It is similar to predictive maintenance.

Predictive maintenance uses AI analytics and big data to spot the earliest signs of failure in specific items of equipment, typically the most expensive and/or most prone to failure.

Predictive monitoring applies the same skills and processes to monitor the entire plant, producing early alerts about small plant anomalies that indicate inefficiencies anywhere in the plant. Predictive monitoring can help improve production efficiency, significantly boosting plant revenue

How does predictive monitoring help process manufacturing plants?

Predictive monitoring enables operation engineers, process engineers, and plant and production managers to identify the anomalies in plant data that reveal unexpected, non-repeating issues early on, before they snowball into serious incidents.

With predictive monitoring, plant management teams can:

  • Correct inefficiencies before they cause part failure
  • Prevent shutdowns and downtime
  • Boost production quality by ensuring equipment operates at peak performance
  • Extend equipment lifecycle
  • Raise production quantity
  • Respond in real time with quick, easy fixes to small problems, preventing them from snowballing

What are the best ways to implement predictive monitoring?

To prepare to successfully implement predictive monitoring, plant managers should consider these questions:

  • What do you want to improve? E.g. production quality, plant downtime, etc.
  • What is your measurable goal? This should be in the form of hard numbers.
  • What is the plant’s current status? Record a baseline for plant efficiency
  • Which items of equipment are most important in reaching your goal?

What are the benefits of predictive monitoring?

Predictive monitoring empowers plant employees to respond close to instantly to the first signs of anomaly anywhere in the plant. With the help of predictive monitoring, process manufacturing companies can maximize production, achieve operational excellence, increase plant uptime, cut expenditure on part replacements, and enable process engineers to spend more time planning strategically and less time chasing fires.