Plant asset management service from ABB unlocks mine data to improve productivity

Zurich, Switzerland, June 9, 2015:  ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has launched a scalable solution to sustain and improve the maintenance performance of a mine by easily accessing previously untapped asset data and then compiling it efficiently. The product will initially be launched in Brazil, Peru and Chile, with other countries to follow in 2015.

Called AssetVista™, the solution unlocks an integral feature of ABB’s long-established System 800xA platform Asset Optimization. However, it can be also easily integrated in a range of other third-party control systems. To work most effectively, AssetVista™ is combined with the customer’s maintenance management. This combination improves equipment reliability, thereby reducing maintenance and operational costs, avoids unplanned shutdowns and increases productivity.

AssetVista™ pulls together previously disparate condition data from various assets, such as valves, switches, sensors, motors, switchgear, gearboxes, crushers and conveyors to collectively analyze and compare all data enabling users to define a thorough predictive maintenance strategy. A critical analysis of each asset, equipment or component takes into account failure modes, available control system data, as well as information from pre-installed expert condition monitoring systems and datasheets.

For instance, a typical conveyor offers a vast array of intelligence, yet this data is often distributed, independently, to different computer systems located in a control room, office and e-house. This silo mentality means vital information is not shared among all stakeholders in a timely manner. If, for example, a fault occurs due to insufficient lubrication of an electric motor, the maintenance engineer may not learn about it until production has already been compromised. And, even when identified, the engineer may not quickly identify the electric motor as the root cause. This leads to massive and costly delays.

AssetVista™ avoids this scenario by channelling the key information into one maintenance-oriented system. So everyone – from operations, maintenance and automation departments – gets forewarning of a potential fault (i.e., lubrication failure) with a proposed solution all with enough time to address it before production is affected.