When we first shared the story of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority's successful crane monitoring deployment, the results spoke for themselves: early problem detection, prevented failures, and actionable insights that transformed their maintenance approach. The success of that initial installation has now led to something even more impressive—a systematic expansion of predictive monitoring across their critical port infrastructure.
The latest chapter in this success story focuses on the port's reach stackers—massive conveyor systems that are absolutely critical to port operations. Building on the lessons learned from crane monitoring, the Ghana Ports team deployed Atomation sensors across multiple reach stacker units to monitor the mechanical health of these vital assets.
The results from their recent monitoring period (August 11-17, 2025) show just how powerful expanding predictive monitoring beyond initial success areas can be.
The weekly monitoring report reveals some pretty compelling evidence of the system's effectiveness:
System-Wide Stability: Alert levels dropped by 59% compared to the previous week, indicating increasingly stable equipment conditions as maintenance recommendations were implemented.
Targeted Insights: Rather than overwhelming operators with false alarms, the system flagged specific assets requiring attention while confirming that others were operating normally.
Actionable Intelligence: Each alert came with specific recommendations—from priority inspections for units showing persistent vibration patterns to preventive maintenance scheduling based on trending data.
What makes this expansion particularly impressive is how the system distinguishes between different types of mechanical stress:
Temperature monitoring detected no thermal anomalies, confirming that lubrication and cooling systems were operating effectively. Vibration analysis identified specific units requiring attention while confirming others were operating within normal parameters. Trend analysis revealed that vibration spikes were mechanical in nature (not temperature-related), pointing operators toward structural inspections rather than thermal solutions.
One asset (RST-1012) showed persistent vibration trends across multiple weeks, leading to specific recommendations for drivetrain, boom pivot, and hydraulic damper reviews—exactly the kind of targeted maintenance that prevents catastrophic failures.
The report's conclusion highlights something beyond just technical success: "The Atomation platform remains a valuable asset in reducing downtime and moving GPHA toward a condition-based maintenance culture."
This represents a fundamental shift from scheduled maintenance to intelligent, data-driven decisions. Instead of lubricating bearings on a schedule regardless of condition, or waiting for equipment to show obvious signs of wear, the port now operates with continuous visibility into equipment health.
The success with stationary port equipment has also opened up opportunities for monitoring mobile maritime assets. Ghana Ports is now exploring an Atomation deployment on tug boat motors.
Tug boats operate in one of the most demanding marine environments, with motors subject to constant load variations, saltwater exposure, and intensive duty cycles. Traditional maintenance approaches rely on engine hours and scheduled overhauls, but this often means either premature part replacement or unexpected failures during critical vessel assist operations.
Early monitoring data from tug boat motors shows real promise for detecting bearing wear, cooling system issues, and drivetrain stress before they impact operations. Given that a single tug boat breakdown can delay multiple vessel movements and create port-wide bottlenecks, the potential operational impact extends far beyond the individual asset.
"The marine environment presents unique challenges for predictive monitoring," notes the Ghana Ports engineering team. "But if we can achieve the same early detection capabilities on our tug boats that we're seeing with the reach stackers, the operational benefits multiply across our entire vessel traffic management."
This expansion represents another dimension of Ghana Ports' comprehensive approach to predictive monitoring in partnership with Intel Skys—moving from static infrastructure to dynamic, mission-critical mobile assets that keep the entire port ecosystem flowing smoothly.
The Ghana Ports expansion offers valuable insights for other organizations considering predictive monitoring:
Start Strategic, Scale Systematically: Begin with critical equipment where failure has the highest impact, prove the concept, then expand to additional assets based on success.
Intelligence Over Data Volume: The most effective monitoring systems provide clear, actionable insights rather than overwhelming data streams.
Operator Engagement: Success comes from systems that enhance operator decision-making rather than replacing operator expertise.
With proven success across both cranes and reach stackers, Ghana Ports has established a solid foundation for expanded predictive monitoring. Based on these results, they're planning to extend the installation to a second port—a clear indication of the operational value they're seeing from the technology.
"Atomation is our most innovative solution in Ghana. We're looking forward to additional installations of Atoms to help our customers improve their operations," says Ben Amram, Managing Director at Intel Skys.
"Intel Skys exemplifies what we want in a technology partner—they think strategically about deployment, creatively about applications, and always focus on delivering tangible value for their customers. Ghana Ports' expansion from cranes to stackers and now to multiple ports is proof of that approach working," adds Guy Weitzman, Atomation's Co-Founder.
The 59% reduction in alert volume doesn't represent decreased monitoring sensitivity—it represents increasingly stable equipment operating under intelligent oversight. That's the ultimate goal of predictive monitoring: not just detecting problems, but preventing them from occurring in the first place.
Ghana Ports has proven that predictive monitoring success scales, and their multi-port expansion plans demonstrate real confidence in the approach—providing a roadmap for ports and heavy industry operations worldwide.
Ready to explore how predictive monitoring can transform your critical equipment management? Contact our team to discuss deployment strategies that build on proven success patterns like those demonstrated at Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.