ABB app eliminates needless maintenance in metallurgy industry

Automation technology expert ABB has launched a digital application that gives manufacturers in the metallurgy industry updates about the health of their production assets, reducing maintenance, speeding up repairs and preventing unnecessary exposure to hazardous areas. PIF reports on the potential of ABB’s app for metallurgy engineering applications.

ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring for metals offers complete, continuous visibility of assets’ health, using plant data to predict maintenance needs. The app quickly gathers previously disparate data from a variety of production equipment – such as valves, switches and sensors – and presents it to metallurgy industry professionals via user-friendly dashboards for smooth joint working and integration.

Breaking down information silos in metallurgy engineering

Highly scalable, ABB’s app is particularly quick and easy to implement at metallurgy engineering plants already using a wide range of distributed control systems, including ABB’s market-leading ABB Ability System 800xA.

“Our goal with ABB Ability Asset Vista is to break down information silos between operations, automation and maintenance personnel, helping metals industry customers define a thorough predictive maintenance strategy,” says Tarun Mathur, Global Product Manager for Metals Digital at ABB.

“Past studies have shown that a properly functioning predictive maintenance system can provide savings ranging from 12 and in some cases up to as much as 40 percent over a program using preventive maintenance alone,” explains Eduardo Ingegneri, Global Product Manager for Asset Vista at ABB.

Helping the metallurgy industry to reduce maintenance costs

Developed by maintenance experts, ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring works on open communication protocols like OPC and Modbus and is easily integrated in a range of third-party control systems.

Combining Asset Vista with the plant’s maintenance management improves equipment reliability, thereby reducing maintenance and operational costs, preventing unplanned shutdowns and increasing productivity for manufacturers across the metallurgy industry.

For example, a typical conveyor can provide large amounts of valuable data. Yet without ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring, this data may be distributed, independently, to different computer systems in different locations. This can prevent vital information from being shared promptly to all relevant personnel.

ABB Ability Asset Vista avoids this scenario by channelling key information into one maintenance-oriented system. So, all relevant parties are forewarned of a potential fault with a proposed solution in time to resolve it before production is affected.

Four-stage implementation process

There are four stages to implementing ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring for metals. First, an on-site assessment by ABB experts and site maintenance specialists evaluates the precise maintenance needs. A long-term solution is then designed based on business goals and available technologies. In the next stage, ABB’s team deploys the online condition monitoring application.

Finally, ABB remotely measures and optimises maintenance performance and presents results in periodic reports. Under a service agreement, ABB ensures the application is always up-to-date so that customer maintenance teams can focus on their daily maintenance work.

Protecting metallurgy equipment

ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring for metals is scalable through its library of asset monitors, called the Asset Vista Library Suite. Thanks to this Library Suite, users can apply Asset Vista to whichever area of focus they wish, whether condition monitoring of automation, instrumentation, electrical, mechanical or process equipment.

This suite of monitors enables a user to start with a small scope, covering only the most common components initially, and then, in line with growing business demands, scale up the condition monitoring to assess more complex, high-value added metallurgy equipment and components.

For further information, visit www.abb.com.