The talk of digital transformation is widely happening across the manufacturing and production sectors. While companies are taking strides in their journey to improve overall business performance, these initiatives are still mostly in the early stages.
In a Hydrocarbon Processing article, Digital: How digital tools improve access to device information, Emerson’s Adam Thompson highlights some ways that companies are advancing their digital transformation initiatives.
With the growing shortage of skilled workers as more retirements occur, Adam notes:
Having a plan and the right tools becomes essential; specifically, when it is necessary to maintain critical processes with fewer resources. Digital tools can be the crucial component that make the difference, particularly if they are easy to implement and use.
He shares an example of how field technicians can improve productivity.
Adding scannable tags to equipment means that technicians can access most of the information they need on the job without having to spend valuable time tracking it down. The equipment data linked in the QR code or stored in the RFID tag can also be updated to ensure that technicians view the most current details on their mobile dashboard.
Greater efficiencies are possible in the shutdowns, turnarounds & outages (STO) planning process.
Technical updates are available without needing to search for them and can be incorporated in the planning of the STO. This will also make it easier to identify what equipment will need to be updated, repaired or replaced to avoid unscheduled downtime when a piece of equipment might fail or no longer operate within specifications.
Read the article for more examples in improving maintenance activities and ongoing process optimization. Visit the MyEmerson Personalized Digital Experience section on Emerson.com to see how many of these digital tools have been assembled and streamlined to assist companies in their digital transformation initiatives.
You can also connect and interact with other digital transformation specialists in the IIoT & Digital Transformation group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
