By Bruce Geiselman
Senseye, a developer of cloud-based condition monitoring and predictive maintenance software, has partnered with Endowance Solutions, a business-management consulting and software firm, on a new software suite that automates predictive maintenance, as well as the scheduling of repairs and the ordering of parts.
“What we have implemented together with Senseye is we can now predict when you need to replace a part on an asset,” Endowance CEO Rob Hienekamp said during a webinar with Senseye describing the software suite.
OneOffice Duet360 for IIoT combines Senseye’s AI-powered industrial analytics software (Senseye PdM) for machine performance and reliability with Endowance’s IIoT platform. The cloud-based software suite allows OEMs to monitor and maintain machines ahead of any breakdowns or malfunctions, deliver parts to end users through an automated process in a just-in-time fashion, and achieve corporate sustainability goals, according to a joint announcement from the companies.
Senseye and Endowance are marketing the suite to OEMs, to allow them to offer the software and predictive maintenance service as an optional subscription. The companies first announced the partnership last November.
“Aftermarket parts and service offer tremendous revenue potential,” Hienekamp said in a blog post on the Senseye website. “With Senseye, our solution will help manufacturers differentiate themselves from the competition and achieve revenue goals through real-time use of IIoT.”
The software package allows OEMs to move beyond recommending and performing periodic maintenance and repairs after a malfunction occurs, to offering predictive maintenance and automated part sales and order creation.
The suite integrates with Salesforce and other customer-relationship-management (CRM) software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, said Niall Sullivan, Senseye’s VP for marketing. It can notify the CRM software to order a new part and send notification to an OEM or end user that a service person needs to service the machine.
When the Endowance software notices an anomaly indicating a maintenance need might soon arise, an alert is issued to the OEM and to the end user, and a maintenance recommendation is made to prevent any unanticipated downtime.
End users normally perform routine maintenance according to an OEM’s recommended schedule, which may be too often or not often enough depending on actual operating conditions, according to Endowance and Senseye. In addition, OEMs and end users often carry an inventory of spare parts because they don’t know when they will be needed. However, Endowance’s new software suite reduces the need for parts inventories, according to the companies.
“When you talk about reducing your inventory, you’re also talking about reducing your waste. You’re talking about reducing having things on shelves not being used and replacing things when they don’t need to be replaced if you’re doing it on a fixed service interval,” Alexander Hill, co-founder and chief global strategist at Senseye, said during the webinar.
The software also can extend the life of a piece of equipment, according to the companies.
With the software, users of machine would experience less unplanned downtime and lower costs, according to the companies.
Headquartered in Southampton, England, Senseye has offices in the United States, Germany, France and Japan. It was formed in 2014 and was recently acquired by Siemens.
Senseye PdM, the predictive maintenance software, accepts data (such as melt temperature, melting times and motor condition) from sensors and PLCs built into modern injection molding machines, extruders and other plastics processing equipment. However, some older machinery and auxiliary equipment might lack the necessary sensors or control units to facilitate process monitoring and predictive maintenance. To assist in data collection for those pieces of equipment, Senseye can work with third-party sensors configured to work with its software.
The software also can monitor conditions including vibration, pressure, temperature and electric current. It can communicate to a user that a component, such as an electric motor, is at risk of failing within a certain number of days. It also displays the risk of failure as a percentage within that time.
Endowance helps manufacturers connect their CRM and ERP software.
Contact:
Endowance Solutions, Stateline, Nev., 279-201-7100, www.endowance.com
Senseye USA, Nashville, Tenn., 415-523-0447, www.senseye.io
Bruce Geiselman, senior staff reporter
About the Author
Bruce Geiselman
Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers extrusion, blow molding, additive manufacturing, automation and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has extensive experience in daily and magazine journalism.