Empowering Manufacturers with Smart, Scalable Predictive Maintenance Solutions

The European manufacturing sector faces mounting challenges as energy prices remain high, significantly increasing production costs—especially for energy-intensive industries. With some of the most expensive electricity and gas rates in the world, European manufacturers must find ways to improve efficiency and reduce operational expenses to stay competitive. To address these challenges, many large corporations are accelerating their digital transformation, leveraging advanced technologies to optimize energy use and streamline production. However, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often struggle with limited financial resources, technical expertise, and in-house capabilities, making it difficult for them to adopt smart manufacturing solutions.

Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency with Predictive Maintenance

Recognizing this gap, Integral System, a French industrial computing solution distributor, partnered with Advantech WISE-IoT and TCT (Tores Composants Technologies) to develop ready-to-use, pre-integrated predictive maintenance and real-time production monitoring solutions. These scalable and flexible technologies enable both large enterprises and SMEs to improve efficiency without the complexity of system integration. By offering an affordable and accessible pathway to smart manufacturing, Integral System empowers companies of all sizes to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and adapt to the evolving industrial landscape.

Recently, Integral System’s partner, TCT, a leading magnetic core manufacturer, installed a new air compressor at their production site. To reduce unexpected downtime and maintenance costs—critical since many machines, such as molding and winding machines, rely on the compressor—TCT turned to Integral System for predictive maintenance and energy monitoring solutions. However, implementing a solution posed several challenges: the large manufacturing site, extreme heat from multiple furnaces, and the need for reliable wireless communication due to the difficulty and cost of physically wiring sensor nodes. Additionally, with numerous large metal structures throughout the facility, the sensors had to be non-invasive, easy to install, and industrial-grade to withstand harsh conditions.

IoT-Driven Predictive Maintenance for Smart Operations

To address these challenges, Integral System proposed Advantech WISE-IoT PHM (Prognostics and Health Management) based on IoTSuite along with real-time monitoring and management functions, incorporating the ICR-2031 Industrial 4G Router and TCT’s Current Transformer Sensor. The PHM solution included WISE-2410 LoRaWAN® Smart Vibration Sensor and WISE-6610 V2 Industrial LoRaWAN® Gateway, utilizing LoRaWAN™ technology to ensure long-range, bi-directional, and stable wireless communication across metal-intensive environments.

The WISE-2410 sensor, rated IP66 for hazardous environments, was mounted on the compressor to track operational status by cross-referencing RMS speeds and eigenvalues with ISO 10816-3 vibration standards. The WISE-6610 V2 gateway supported Modbus/TCP, MQTT, BacNet, and OPCUA protocols and featured built-in Node-Red, a LoRaWAN® network server, and EdgeLink software to push collected data directly to the cloud. The TCT Current Transformer Sensor, a self-sufficient device requiring no external power, measured current intensity to monitor operation time and power consumption.

During implementation, Integral System identified that the compressor did not operate at a constant speed. Collaborating with Advantech’s R&D team, they refined PHM’s AI algorithm, enhancing its adaptability for various types of rotating equipment.

By leveraging IoT, machine learning, and predictive analytics, Advantech’s IoTSuite-powered solutions transformed TCT’s operations. The system now delivers accurate predictive alerts, real-time machine health reports, KPI tracking, and energy consumption insights, notifying the maintenance team and administrative staff proactively.

TCT now benefits from remote, real-time monitoring of compressors, pumps, and motors—even during nighttime hours. With Advantech’s IoTSuite dashboards, they can centrally manage operations anytime, anywhere, while customizing machine health scores and receiving abnormality predictions up to seven days in advance.

Driving Innovation and Future-Ready Smart Manufacturing Solutions

During the development of predictive maintenance and energy monitoring solutions, Integral System, TCT, and Advantech combined their expertise to maximize the potential of their industry know-how. This collaboration not only addressed TCT’s immediate needs but also set a strong foundation for future innovations. Looking ahead, TCT’s project will serve as a benchmark case, demonstrating how Integral System’s solutions can help other manufacturers facing similar machine management challenges.

By continuously developing ready-to-use Industry 4.0 solutions for smart manufacturing and beyond, Integral System and Advantech are positioning themselves at the forefront of industrial innovation. Their commitment to scalable, easy-to-implement technologies ensures they remain competitive in the evolving industrial automation landscape, equipping manufacturers with the tools to thrive in the marketplace of tomorrow.

Case Benefits

1. Anticipate potential machine issues and prevent unexpected downtimes
2. Enhancing PHM’s adaptability for various types of rotating equipment
3. Gain a benchmark case for demonstrating PHM and real-time monitoring

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