Industry 4.0: proofs of concept dedicated to predictive maintenance

Published on 22 July 2022
Daher Daher

Industry 4.0 depends on preventing a breakdown before it even occurs, and this performance is now made possible thanks to new technologies that bring together the IoT and artificial intelligence.

According to a report published by Credence Research1, the global predictive maintenance market was estimated to be worth 2.9 billion dollars in 2018, and expected to develop with an average annual growth rate of 28.5% until 2027. Anticipating malfunctions makes it possible to reduce maintenance time and cost, thus the heart of this approach is increasing company productivity and customer satisfaction. In order to position itself on the crest of this wave of innovation, SPIE implemented several Proofs of Concept (POC) that extensively tested these technologies and demonstrated their ability to be optimised in a flexible and accelerated manner. This approach requires working in close collaboration with clients.

1. https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/predictive-maintenance-market.

Daher

24h in the life of a maintenance technician

Florent Dubillot
Florian Dubillot, head of the industrial maintenance department of SPIE France Industrie division.

Predictive maintenance takes off at Airbus

In Bouguenais (near Nantes), the assembly line for the Airbus A320 is 150 metres long and has 18 workstations with 50 production operators working simultaneously.

It goes without saying that any unforeseen malfunction significantly hinders the system. Therefore, SPIE provided Airbus with a POC that aimed to shift from corrective and preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance. The objective of this is “to provide the client with added technical and financial value by improving the availability of the production tool”, explains Florian Dubillot, head of the industrial maintenance department of SPIE France Industrie division. Predictive maintenance allows businesses to avoid unexpected breakdowns, optimise their maintenance plans and perform upkeep less frequently and more quickly.

Maintenance prédictive Airbus
+28%: predicted annual growth rate between now and 2027
Aymeric Grasland
Aymeric Grasland, maintenance methods manager at SPIE France Industrie division.

“The POC, introduced in late 2018 in partnership with Microsoft, makes it possible to link the cold data (technical documents, ERP1 and CAMM2), the hot data taken from the assembly line robots ( operating speed, position of a part, etc.) and the data drawn from connected sensors (vibrations, temperature, etc.)”, explains Aymeric Grasland, a maintenance methods manager. The data are then analysed by different algorithmic models. At the end of the day, one figure, the RUL3, makes it possible to determine whether the machine is in good working order or if it requires either inspection by the Airbus production teams or speedy intervention by SPIE technicians.

Two months later, the POC has proved its value, although there remain improvements to be made, particularly in relation to cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. These will be the object of the next POV (Proof of Value): “Working in collaboration with SPIE ICS will enable us to optimise the reception, storage and processing of data, thanks to a digital platform”, assures Aymeric Grasland.

1. Enterprise Resource Planning: software that makes it possible to manage all resources used.

2. Computer-Assisted Maintenance Management.

3. Remaining Useful Life.

Airbus Maintenance
$2,9 bn : value of the international predictive maintenance market in 2018
Vincent Colnot
Vincent Colnot, operations director at SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire, Industrie division

SPIE is ready for action at Daher in Tarbes

SPIE has been in charge of the maintenance contract for all of the production resources at the Daher plant in Tarbes (South West of France) since 2005.

As part of the contract renewal in March 2019, SPIE proposed the introduction of a predictive maintenance POC. “The support of the Nantes teams and the experience gained at Airbus really bolstered the credibility of our presentation in comparison with our main competitor. This opportunity responded to the expectations of Daher which, having been challenged by its clients, wants to demonstrate its innovative spirit and its progress towards industry 4.0”, states Vincent Colnot, operations director, SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire, Industrie division.

Frédéric Balagna
Frédéric Balagna, site manager in charge of maintenance at SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire - Industrie division

In this instance, the POC – which became operational in late September – allows centralisation and analysis of the data on a server supplied by SPIE ICS. “The main challenge is to find a secure way of extracting the data and to create pathways between the two SPIE and Daher interfaces”, explains Frédéric Balagna, site manager in charge of maintenance.

More broadly, the synergy created by this POC will make it possible to jointly develop software tools and subject experts, in particular by integrating the skills of data officers, data scientists or cybersecurity engineers. However, as always, the cornerstone remains the same – the client’s trust. In the words of Vincent Colnot, “in addition to the POC, we have worked together, i.e. through co-construction between Daher, the Industrie division of SPIE France and SPIE ICS, on how to organise the industry of the future. We have got used to working closely together and we share the same culture of progress.”

Daher maintenance robot
For Daher, SPIE has set itself the objective of providing technical and financial added value for the customer, while improving the availability of production facilities.