Description
European manufacturing enterprises are confronted with the need to boost their competitive edge while being environmentally friendly. This calls for the creation of a mechanism which to address both enterprise efficiency and their environmental sustainability. One of the best ways to address the issue is by creating a software system which to support both cost-effective production processes and be in concord with European environmental regulations. The Centralized Condition-Based Maintenance and Manufacturing Support System Project sets as its primary objective the development of innovative tool which to support the greening of manufacturing enterprises production processes by optimizing their maintenance activities. As intended result, the enterprises are expected to reduce their energy, oil and fluid consumption. Upon project completion, the system will be available both for onsite implementation (On Premises) and in a cloud-supported version (SaaS).
Summary of project results
The overall objective of the project was to increase the competitiveness of green enterprises, including greening of existing industries, green innovation and green entrepreneurship. The project promoter, InterConsult Bulgaria, together with the two Norwegian partners NTNU and Kongsberg Terotech, have developed and tested an innovative software solution, called Green Monitor, for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance of manufacturing machines. As a result the enterprises are able to reduce their energy, oil and lubricants consumption. The system is available both for onsite implementation and in a cloud-supported version. The achieved output indicators are significant: - Scientific analyses of the current maintenance approach and available solutions, development of a concept, including mathematical and analytical models for pattern recognition and large amounts of data processing; - Software system based on the latest technology trends and solutions that is available to run in the cloud and on mobile devices; - The system for predictive maintenance takes a comprehensive approach and reflects all process steps, from the automatic early detection of machine faults through to planning and transparent documentation. - Machine condition data are sent to the software, which analyzes the data to pick up any irregularities using our intelligent rule technology. The results of this analysis feed into an automatic process that initiates corrective measures. The efficiency of the decision and measurement of the green effect have been tested and verified in two enterprises. The measurements indicate that the following output indicators have been achieved: The energy consumption has been decreased from 100% to 95%. The machine availability has been increased more than 95%. The wasted materials have been reduced from 5% to 2.5%. The number of maintenance hours, consumption of lubricants and of cutting fluid have been reduced.The expenses for spare parts have been also reduced.
Summary of bilateral results
The partnership was developed very successfully. In fact, the project was combining three different types of expertise: • The InterConsult Bulgaria know-how in software development, • The Konsberg Terotech know-how in preventive maintenance and engineering knowledge in the metal-cutting industry • and NTNU know-how in math and statistical analyses and algorithms development. This partnership contributed to the improved relationship and dialogue between the parties. The project is considered to be a good example for a green business model, where an innovative and environmental solution has been put into practice. This model is expected to go beyond the traditional tools and systems available on the global market and to be a door-opener to new business concept and know-how transfer