Providing a product with smart maintenance is one of the common smart product strategies that product companies are able to pursue thanks to digital technology. In this blog you will learn about the key drivers and benefits of adding smart maintenance to your products, illustrated with several product examples of local companies.
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Facilitation of supporting processes of the product
The product is able to aid in provisioning, commissioning or maintenance of the product itself or the system it is part of, thanks to automated processing and exchange of data of the operation of the product. The key enabling technologies are secure and dependable connectivity, local decision making in the product, dedicated sensing of the health state of the product and cloud for centralised asset management.
Some inspiring examples:
- ABN Clean Room Technology follows a smart maintenance and service approach that optimises operations over the life cycle and extends the lifetime of the cleanroom. Through a cloud based platform cleanrooms can be monitored 24/7, from any location.. More about this case
- Hannecard’s roller-as-a-service offering includes the roller monitoring and management solution 'countroll', which allows customers to optimise their roller operations, anticipate on maintenance interventions and achieve higher roller performance. More about this case.
- Shayp's water management solution makes it possible to monitor consumption, detect leaks and track maintenance interventions remotely thanks to connected data loggers and cloud-based management software. More about this case
- Pattyn's cloud-based solution centralises and stores all machine status information for its customers in food packaging. The access to historical machine data and the ability to deliver remote technical support allows Pattyn to resolve remaining issues more quickly. More about this case
- Stüv’s remotely monitored and controlled pellet stove notifies the user of the various alarms relating to the operation of the stove, and is able to share data with the dealer and Stûv, so that remote support can be provided. More about this case.
- The Will-Fill is an add-on device with a built-in control unit that automatically adjusts and remotely monitors the condition of the cutting fluid of metalworking machines, reducing manual maintenance efforts. More about this case
Higher product availability with less effort
Because the deployment, configuration, maintenance or repair of a product are done better, faster and more efficiently, based on operational data from the connected product, the main economic value element for the customer is the return from a higher product availability and reduced maintenance costs. The supporting processes are accelerated and become more resource-efficient and of a higher quality. They ensure a better performance of the product, simplify the operations at the customer’s and reduce the customer’s effort to keep the product operational.
Recurring revenue and lower servicing costs with total customer solutions
Smart maintenance aims for a broader offering and a more total customer solution, beyond the functionality of the product, allowing the product builder to shift from a pure product transfer to product-related services that replace or complement existing services around the product. This contributes to increased revenue, reduced servicing costs, more streamlined after-sales services, a closer customer contact and more direct insights in product usage and customer needs.
Interested to learn more about smart product strategies? Deep dive in our online smart product inspirator for more strategies and product examples or contact our expert Pieter Beyl directly.
