Opportunities of Digitalization in Mechanical Engineering

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The core goals of innovative mechanical engineering have always been to optimize machine utilization and simplify maintenance. On the one hand, the introduction of digitalization now also enables the use of cloud systems with seemingly ever-increasing computing power and real-time process control, but on the other hand it usually increases the complexity of the plant considerably. In addition, digitalization gives manufacturing companies new opportunities to control their own products and insights into how customers behave with these digital products. One example: the integration of fully automated condition monitoring into the production plant, which in turn creates the data basis for extensive predictive maintenance - i.e. (AI) automated proactive maintenance.

However, as described at the beginning, many medium-sized australian consumer email list companies today are faced with a heterogeneous machine park, some of which is old and, at first glance, is miles away from being digitally networked. Or they own many machines from different manufacturers that could perhaps already be networked individually, but can only be digitized in a proprietary way due to the lack of interfaces and standards.

An interesting digital solution for operators of such production plants is retrofit sensor technology. But what does that mean in concrete terms? And what possibilities does retrofit sensor technology offer medium-sized companies?

What can retrofit do?
When we hear the word "retrofit" we usually only think of the digitization of old machines and systems. This is generally true, but there is also a second side to the coin: only a small part of retrofitting is primarily concerned with connecting old machines. Retrofit sensors can often be used to upgrade modern or already networked machines very cost-effectively. Or retrofit sensors can be used to harmonize heterogeneous machine parks across manufacturers.

This solution offers two relevant advantages that pay off for every company:

The holistic monitoring and optimization of the service life of systems and machines across the entire inventory.
Reducing production costs by increasing productivity and quality by monitoring and increasing the availability of machines. Maintenance can, for example, be coordinated with planned downtimes.
Retrofit sensors are not an end in themselves: the right use case is crucial
But with every desire for rapid digitization, it is important not to lose sight of the actual use cases. Retrofit solutions obviously offer many advantages, but the sensors must always be specifically suited to the respective application in order to pay off in the long term. In the end, it is of no use to anyone to generate and store huge amounts of data if the appropriate use behind it is missing or unclear.