Challenge:
A large paper manufacturing facility in the USA, with operations spanning multiple continents (34 countries) and thousands of employees worldwide, was facing increasing maintenance challenges due to a lean maintenance workforce and a growing number of critical electrical assets requiring regular inspection.
With limited personnel resources, maintenance teams were unable to consistently inspect every critical transformer and electrical asset at the frequency required to confidently detect developing issues before they impacted production.
The facility recognized the need for a solution that could provide continuous asset visibility, automatically identify abnormal operating conditions, and notify maintenance personnel only when intervention was required.
To address these challenges, the facility partnered with IRISS to deploy the E Sentry DTU Sensor platform on selected critical assets throughout the plant.
Solution:
IRISS installed E Sentry DTU Sensors on critical transformer assets to provide:
- 24/7 continuous condition monitoring
- Real-time transformer temperature monitoring
- Automated alerting
- Historical trend analysis
- Early identification of abnormal operating conditions
- Remote visibility into asset health
Following installation, the sensors continuously collected operating data over several weeks. This initial monitoring period enabled maintenance personnel and IRISS specialists to establish a baseline profile for normal operating conditions specific to the facility’s environment and production processes.
Using the collected data, customized alarm and alert thresholds were configured to align with the facility’s operational requirements and risk tolerance.
Outcome:
With continuous monitoring in place, maintenance personnel gained visibility into transformer performance without the need for routine manual inspections.
The implementation delivered several key benefits:
Reduced Dependence on Manual Inspections
Rather than attempting to inspect every critical asset on a scheduled basis, maintenance personnel could focus their efforts only when operating conditions indicated a potential issue.
Early Detection of Developing Problems
The system automatically identified operating conditions that exceeded established thresholds, allowing maintenance teams to investigate and address issues before they escalated into failures.
Improved Maintenance Efficiency
Exception-based monitoring enabled the facility to maximize the effectiveness of its lean maintenance workforce by prioritizing resources where they were needed most.
Increased Asset Reliability
Continuous monitoring provided early warning of changing asset conditions, reducing the likelihood of unexpected transformer failures and unplanned downtime.
Avoidance of Catastrophic Failure
By receiving timely notifications when asset operating conditions exceeded predefined thresholds, maintenance personnel were able to take corrective action before significant asset damage occurred.
This proactive approach helped prevent failures that could have resulted in extensive repair costs, replacement expenses, and production interruptions.
