This website uses cookies primarily for visitor analytics. Certain pages will ask you to fill in contact details to receive additional information. On these pages you have the option of having the site log your details for future visits. Indicating you want the site to remember your details will place a cookie on your device. To view our full cookie policy, please click here. You can also view it at any time by going to our Contact Us page.

Close

Increasing critical asset reliability with a cloud-based maintenance service

11 January 2024

A cloud-based maintenance service has helped Shepherd Neame gain insight into a critical asset to help increase reliability and reduce downtimes.

The UK’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, is using an innovative cloud service to help it gain valuable insight into a key asset – a bottle filler which lies at the heart of the brewery operation on the bottling line.
 
With a capacity to fill 27,000 bottles per hour – which contributes to the firms output of 50 million pints every year – the bottle filler is critical but ageing. Shepherd Neame’s engineers needed to develop a greater understanding of its performance so they could implement steps to increase the reliability of the machine to avoid costly downtime.
 
Michael Unsworth, director of brewing at Shepherd Neame, explained: “Stoppage on production with the scale of output we work to on our bottling line can cost around £1,000 per hour. If unplanned downtime lasts for days, which can be the case when there are long lead times for spare parts, it can be very costly.
 
“For this reason, we needed to get the right insight on the machine and its components to use the data to develop a robust maintenance strategy. Not only does this save us downtime costs, but it also helps prevent failures and saves on component and labour costs.” 
 
Working closely with Shepherd Neame, engineers from RS Industria – part of the RS Group –installed condition monitoring on the asset’s main drive and vibration sensors on its gearboxes, before connecting these to a local hub. 

Real-time monitoring
RS Industria is able to monitor machines in real-time, alerting engineers to potential small issues before they escalate. This real-time data is fed into a cloud-based analytics system that can spot indicators of potential failure to improve asset reliability through preventative and predictive maintenance.
 
Within hours of the solution being put in place to monitor the bottling machine, issues with two critical components were flagged. The gearbox was showing a high-frequency vibration – indicating a lubrication issue – and an oil leak was discovered, caused by a faulty seal. Had these issues not been identified, the gearbox may have failed and needed to be replaced.
 
High vibration on the motor was also detected, leading to an investigation of the issue and component replacement scheduled to tie in with planned maintenance programmes. This avoided potential downtime and the potential costs arising from secondary damage to the machine.
 
Michael concluded: “We are really happy with the insight RS Industrial has helped us unveil – which has been hassle-free for us – from which we’ve already achieved significant value.”


Contact Details and Archive...

Print this page | E-mail this page