As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads and health guidelines advise companies and employees to continue to work remotely, industrial organizations across the globe are striving to keep their workers and communities safe and healthy and also contending with the full range of effects: economy, their supply chains and their operations.
In today’s business landscape, in order to survive this COVID-19 situation, plant owners/operators are looking for ways to change how they work. They are looking at the latest form of compact-equipment technology: remote control.
There was a time when the phrase 'remote control' referred only to that thing you use to flip through TV channels, but now it’s associated with a wide variety of products and experiences.
For example, do you know what do bicycle helmets, toilet seats and military drones have in common?
Well, all three can be better and easier to use using remote control technology.
Remote control is the ultimate convenience technology of the modern era, because it allows you to do things from a distance and with minimal effort. The technology is now standard in things like drones for example, which cannot be flown any other way. However, remote control technology can also be used in creative ways to do everything from cutting your grass or flushing your toilet to helping your business survive during and after COVID-19.
In today’s business landscape, remote control technology has become a new market segment for most major compact equipment manufacturers.
Every year, technology has a way of innovating and advancing faster than other segments of the industry and remote control technology is no exception.
Due to the development of advanced remote operations solutions, physical equipment and devices can be remotely monitored with a secure app. This technology gives plant operators visibility of critical processes on a mobile device such as smartphone or tablet.
By having the control literally in your pocket at all times, you don’t need to plan out when you’re using remote control technology on a jobsite or in your plant - you can pull it out of your pocket at any moment, enhancing your productivity and/or service offerings.
You also don’t need to purchase multiple remote controls for your staff, as each of them likely has a smartphone already sitting in their pocket.
The transition to remote operations is being made easier through the implementation of proven and secure digital tools.
Remote monitoring and operations software can now be deployed and utilized in a way that is cybersecure with no increased risk to manufacturing operations.
The addition of remote control technology could improve almost every aspect of your business: from your bottom line to the way you recruit and retain employees.
And for those of you, who find yourself questioning how you’ll continue operating the machinery necessary to complete the industry work you love, remote-control technology may have the power to save your business.
Advantages of using a remote control technology to keep manufacturing sites running efficiently, reliably and safely from a distance, to address COVID-19 pandemic concerns and demographic workforce pressures
One of the main advantages of remote control operation is the ability for you and your staff to have complete visibility of the machine/process without having to be at site or in the manufacturing plant.
To keep workers safe and comply with social distancing guidelines, for example, the number of onsite employees needs to be reduced. This will help protect workers who are onsite and keep operations running.
Digital effectiveness is key to staying ahead in today’s manufacturing environment. An emphasis on digital asset and process management will enable manufacturing facilities and plant operating companies to achieve new levels of efficiency, productivity and safety.
Combining the latest technologies can help assure business continuity and improve performance. These include sensors, connectivity, data capture, visualization and advanced analytics.
photo by Oneprod
It also covers activities such as remote monitoring and operations, condition-based and predictive maintenance and real-time operator intelligence.
Technical service and support can also be performed remotely. This includes remote consultation and maintenance and video collaboration and troubleshooting. With a wearable device, workers can help the remote team identify issues and troubleshoot them in real time. If there’s a production problem, team members can access systems and work together to solve the matter remotely. This helps plant personnel perform essential tasks with the knowledge and insights required to do the job correctly and maintain operational uptime but all from a safe distance.
Using data gathered from process or assets, staff can manage daily production, maintenance and safety and make improvements across multiple sites. They can operate the plant, track production targets, monitor asset health, and even create scenarios to determine the effect of operational changes prior to implementation.
The establishment of a remote capability also helps in supporting installed automation systems, networks and devices, and can assist with development, deployment and testing, training and technology migration.
Providing enhanced visibility of high-pressure equipment, the tools can be used to implement effective preventive maintenance strategies, minimize re-calibration requirements and reduce operating expenses.
Remote operations strategies that employ portable and extensible software solutions take advantage of actionable recommendations, highlighted with potential economic impact, for intelligent business and operations.
This remote control approach can reduce cycle time by up to 80%, lower operational cost by as much as 20% and improves migration productivity by at least 60%.
Manufacturers can create a safer and more productive work environment by connecting and analyzing asset data from across the manufacturing facilities and using it to enhance operations and predictive maintenance and drive higher ROI and performance.
You can never go wrong when you’re moving forward, especially remotely.
Interested in monitoring your manufacturing facilities and/or machineries remotely?
