Howden
Case Study
Continuous operation with Howden
Renowned global engineering business, Howden, was established in Scotland in 1854. But standing on the edge of the 4th industrial revolution, the company wanted to ensure it was in a position to thrive in a digital age.
Working with Konektio, they were able to connect their products and use the data to their advantage—transforming their business and enhancing the way they worked.
CHALLENGE
The Howden rotating equipment operates as critical asset and its continuous operation is an essential KPI for the overall plant performance. The ability to plan maintenance around such critical assets in the least disruptive way, that is synchronised with the overall maintenance cycle of the plant is essential and any unplanned downtime typically results in costly shutdowns.
Having equipment operation strategies powered by the “clairvoyance” of predictive maintenance is the solution to such an intrinsic problem and more operators today are looking to turn their operations into data driven organisations. As a consequence, condition monitoring and Big Data are no longer sufficient and the concept of smart connected devices, where the focus is on the right data not all data, is increasingly becoming the new driver for technology investments. This is now even more relevant than a decade ago, because the mechanisms to collect and interpret data have become so sophisticated to the point where very little human interference is required and the costs and computational power of such technologies are no longer prohibitive.
SOLUTION
Howden’s solution, the Uptime application is built with a unique blend of Howden engineering expertise focused on the performance of the rotating equipment through the Digital Twin model and leverages world leading IoT solutions to deliver turnkey industrial innovation.
The system combines active inputs, such as temperature, pressure, vibration and any relevant telemetry with reference parameters from design manuals, specifications and maintenance reports.
This enables the accurate assessment of the condition of the rotating equipment and provides a detailed and reliable basis on which to make decisions about the timing and scope of inspections and maintenance.
Connecting the operating data of the real-time performance to the digital twin representation of the equipment enables the platform to predict the optimum moment for replacing parts, thus improving Uptime. Digital calculations also enable the performance mapping of the equipment and corrective actions to bring its operation around the best efficiency point.
The Uptime service is delivered with full Augmented Reality (AR) experience, a technology that superimposes the computer-generated 3D model of the Howden equipment on the user’s view of the real world, providing a hybrid view. This experiences can be deployed on any type of mobile device and smart eyewear.
“Howden has been an Original Equipment Manufacturer for over 160 years. By connecting our equipment today we’re investing in future proofing our product strategies. And Konektio were at the centre of all of our efforts.”
Dr Maria Wilson, Global Leader Data Driven Advantage at Howden
RESULTS
Connecting the operating data of the real-time performance to the digital twin representation of the equipment enables the platform to predict the optimum moment for replacing parts, thus improving Uptime. Digital calculations also enable the performance mapping of the equipment and corrective actions to bring its operation around the best efficiency point.
When the data is analysed, Uptime delivers a unique foundation for:
- Providing a unified view of the equipment health, anytime and anywhere
- Implementing maintenance strategy tools to help our customers understand efficient and reliable equipment operation, while reducing operational costs and risks
- Getting ahead of failure and unifying operations through data intelligence and visibility
- Enabling equipment and plant performance optimisation