Asset Life Expert: Condition Monitoring System for the Metals Industry

The Asset Life Expert (ALEX) is a revolutionary, centralized condition monitoring system designed specifically for the steel and aluminum industries. It addresses the critical challenges of maximizing plant availability and minimizing downtime. In an era where unplanned downtime can result in significant financial losses, ALEX evaluates various data sources in real time, to provide clear status information and actionable recommendations. ALEX is a crucial tool for operators, maintenance engineers, and plant managers seeking to maintain a competitive edge by extending equipment lifetime and minimizing maintenance costs.

Automated monitoring of machines and processes is essential for implementing predictive maintenance strategies and improving plant performance, especially in the metals processing industry. The Asset Life Expert (ALEX) improves facility operations by maximizing availability and minimizing downtime through predictive maintenance and effective monitoring. Components are grouped into assets and monitored using Evaluation Packages tailored for specific tasks. These packages analyze plant signals to provide condition information and actionable recommendations. Primetals Technologies offers a comprehensive library of Evaluation Packages for various metal plants.

The ALEX system's full integration of advanced real-time streaming analytics, code-based analytics (including the Python programming language), and artificial intelligence within the ALEX system enables seamless coverage of all necessary monitoring tasks. The ALEX user interface manages plant condition data and provides controlled access through configurable user management. Users can add information to enhance the system’s knowledge base. Moreover, the system can interact with other systems, including Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), manufacturing execution systems, planning systems, and process quality control systems. This facilitates comprehensive applications across different platforms. This integration keeps facilities one step ahead in maintenance and operation.

Features of the Asset Life Expert (ALEX)

• Centralized condition monitoring: evaluate and aggregate data from multiple plants, systems, and sources into one view to get an overall status of all facilities and comprehensive condition information.
• Intelligent action recommendations: ALEX provides reliable, helpful, and actionable insights based on real-time data analysis and incorporated know-how in plant building, plant operation and automation. This enables fast and informed decision-making.
• User-friendly visualization: The intuitive user interface allows for easy navigation and monitoring.
• Solution guidance: ALEX provides step-by-step guidance, leading the user from global information to detailed analysis and saving time on daily tasks.
• Seamless integration: ALEX integrates with Primetals Technologies’ solutions, including MAT, TPQC, m.doc, and L1 HMI, among others. It promptly collects and provides all necessary information.
• Scalable and adaptable system: Its modular design allows for easy expansion and customization, ensuring that functionalities can continuously be extended and refined.
• Expandable knowledge database: Customize your ALEX experience adding your own knowledge, as well as additional information, documents, messages, recommendations, descriptions, and more.
  

Highlights of the Asset Life Expert (ALEX)

• Standard monitoring packages: a library of ready-to-use Evaluation Packages for all types of metal plants and designed by Primetals Technologies specialists. Monitoring begins immediately upon activation. In addition to common assets such as motors or hydraulic components, there are also technological Evaluation Packages for specific assets.
• Customized monitoring packages: development of new or customization of existing ones to monitor plant- and customer-specific anomalies, based on failure modes, relevant / available equipment and process data as well as state-of-the-art and tried-and-true analysis including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• ALEX uniquely integrates results from external condition monitoring systems at multiple levels, from summary data to detailed trends. This provides a comprehensive view of asset performance, enhancing decision-making and predictive maintenance with additional information. Consolidating all relevant data on one platform delivers high customer value.
  

Benefits of the Asset Life Expert (ALEX)

• Increased productivity: Detecting deviations from normal operating conditions early on can prevent equipment failures and breakdowns, thus minimizing downtime.
• Cost reduction: Minimize unplanned downtime and extend the lifetime of your equipment. Reduce repair costs and optimize maintenance schedules to maximize resource efficiency and reduce your overall operational and maintenance costs.
• Energy savings: Maintain optimal energy use through the early detection of inefficiencies, such us worn-out or misaligned equipment, which cause higher energy consumption.
• Consistent product quality: Anticipate potential equipment failures that could negatively impact product quality and cause product degradation.
• Enhanced equipment reliability: Improve equipment design, usage, and maintenance strategies continuously based on long-term data monitoring to ensure the equipment is available when needed.
• Data-driven decision-making: Take the right actions at the right time with real-time, actionable insights into equipment performance and health, as well as data-driven recommendations that support decision-making related to maintenance, asset management, and operational strategies.
• Improved safety: Enhance workplace safety by promptly identifying and addressing potential hazards or equipment malfunctions, which could even lead to fatal incidents.