An organization’s competence in asset management practices is defined by its asset performance efficiency and its maintenance audit approach. A comprehensive maintenance audit achieves this requirement. Yes, maintenance audit is a comprehensive inspection of an asset and its maintenance activities. This approach determines whether the organization’s assets are performing satisfactorily. Thus, the primary focus of maintenance management is to identify potential areas in maintenance processes that have scope for improvement. In addition, the maintenance audit also proposes immediate changes that can optimize asset management. In summary, maintenance audits and analysis help to reduce inefficiencies in maintenance processes, as well as avoid the need for total asset replacement through timely alerts.
IoT technology–enabled maintenance audits
To produce effective results in maintenance audits you need an exhaustive amount of data from every asset, and their parts. Hence, links to technological capabilities of IoT open up a world of new possibilities in such scenarios. IoT devices and sensors capture critical asset data and help in extensive documentation of every step in the manufacturing process chain, including the maintenance and performance data of various assets. These recordings including history, location, and functioning of each item, and their analysis allows for asset optimization, as well as maintenance process improvement. Asset management strategies that heed to the status of their maintenance, and work proactively on them will be able to avoid costly repairs.
Benefits of IoT-driven maintenance audits
IoT-driven maintenance audits deliver the following benefits:
- Collect information on all the maintenance work orders
- Check your parts usage to identify possible bad batches of parts or suppliers who provide poorer quality parts
- Analysis of preventative maintenance work orders to look for the equipment that seems to be taking the most of your time and money
- To analyze and study assets that fail frequently or require a lot of unplanned maintenance; this may be a sign that the equipment needs replacement or that maintenance is not being done correctly
- Identify the problems in your asset management systems and maintenance processes, and their causes
- Maximize equipment uptime and component lifetime
- Weigh in on the annual maintenance value of an asset against that of a complete asset replacement
- Develop further maintenance strategy of an organization
- Focus on how well maintenance is supporting the rest of the organization in achieving the desired business outcomes
Incorporating effective maintenance audits driven by IoT technology
Maintenance audits on the production floor help in identifying and bridging the gap in maintenance processes and asset performance. Eventually this will translate to improved plant performance in terms of reduced maintenance cost per unit and machine downtime.
As IoT continues to proliferate in manufacturing, organizations will have innumerable assets to check, repair, and monitor. Hence, IoT-enabled maintenance management solutions that protect and optimize your assets can help in rapid improvement of maintenance performance, extend the life of your equipment, and consequently increase the return on investment.
WeMakeIoT specializes in leveraging IoT technology to create end-to-end solutions that enhance the productivity across the manufacturing ecosystem. Building efficiency across the manufacturing network through smart asset maintenance audits is one of our areas of specializations. Connect with us at https://www.wemakeiot.com/ to explore further options in IoT-driven manufacturing solutions.