It's no secret that factories face several risks each day. From the potential for fires and explosions to chemical spills, they have a lot to worry about. And as we all know, when it comes to risk, one of the most important things you can do is take steps to mitigate those risks.

Whether you are in manufacturing, logistics, tech or utilities, condition monitoring is a practice that is consistently needed. Can you imagine having equipment that’s not working, but you’re not aware of it?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a powerful tool when users have what they need to be successful. Unfortunately, finding the right tools and resources to integrate existing equipment into the IoT remains challenging for many - particularly in the manufacturing space. 

While we never hope that accidents or damage occur, actual events are the best way for the Atomation team and our partners to capture the data we need to set thresholds using real data and there have been two events in the field in the last few weeks! We've had two such occurrences that were captured by the AT-U1.0c in the field. Each event drove a different next step for the utility. One required immediate support while the second warranted timely but not immediate follow-up - and Atoms were able to tell the difference. 

As we move further into 2022, the Atomation platform continues to evolve to support our customers. We've completed updates to support top customer requests and executed some additional product enhancements that we'd like to share with you. 

According to the World Economic Forum, 85% of industrial equipment remains unconnected to the IoT, which means it’s being monitored through a combination of manual observation and reacting to something that has already broken. But if you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware of this frustrating situation and considering your options. 

Mike Johnson, owner of Heartland Sustainable, is using technology for Operations Optimization. The 20-year-old company has segued into a composting vertical that complements his existing Heartland Farm Services. (www.heartlandsustainable.com)  Currently Johnson manages 8 rows of organic compost 8’ H x 25’ W x 300’ L.  This equates to 6000 cubic yards of organic material that needs to be maintained for optimal aerobic processing.  The final product is sold to companies whose interests are in water management, landfill waste reduction, improving soil health, disease resistant products, and erosion/soil compaction. These companies often include Landscapers, Garden Centers through Fibertech Premium Mulch.

The prospect of updating and connecting legacy machinery to the IoT can seem daunting. You may not have the expertise in-house, you’re already strapped for resources, and it seems...complex. Rest assured, there are simple and effective options that don’t require a team of NASA engineers.

We’ve written recently about the negative impact poor equipment monitoring can have on your business. But how do you know if this is an area you should focus on when you likely already have a full plate? (Hint, there’s almost always room for improvement in equipment monitoring.) We’ve put together a checklist to get you started.

In a perfect world, we could all have cutting-edge, “smart” machinery, all of which would be connected for perfectly streamlined processes. In reality, the most cost-effective solution is often to keep legacy machinery in service. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t update the way we use and maintain these machines.