My last post detailed vulnerability problems resulting from connected assets (the basis of my renaming the blog Manufacturing Connection in 2013). This post contains news that show the impossibility of managing a modern manufacturing enterprise without connected assets.
MaintainX announced yesterday the beta launch of Asset Connect, a new cloud-based platform designed to streamline communication and enhance collaboration between machine builders or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and their customers. Asset Connect allows OEMs to proactively monitor deployed customer equipment across facilities, boosting both post-sales revenue and customer satisfaction through real-time asset health analytics, efficient critical spare parts management, and seamless communication tools.
Too often expert machine builders sell or install a machine, only to lose insight into its performance until a customer calls with a problem. Asset Connect represents a transformative shift in how manufacturing relationships are managed by bridging the gap between OEMs and their customers. OEMs with Asset Connect can be granted direct access to real-time asset performance and parts inventory data from customers and assist their customers with lifecycle services with in-context communication.
This sounds like the old M2M movement of the early 2000s. The nomenclature changed to IIoT, but the initiative still failed because companies had too much proprietary data locked up in their machines and processes to allow 3rd parties to access.
It will be interesting to see how this initiative comes off. Is this a better time?
On Asset Connect, the OEM lifecycle department receives streamlined, mobile or desktop alerts on equipment performance issues or failure, low inventory, or customer queries. In return, the customer gains real-time access to expert support to improve uptime, productivity and preventive maintenance.
Benefits of Asset Connect include:
- Increased Equipment Uptime: Customers can take advantage of OEM expertise and continuous asset health monitoring to increase overall equipment uptime and availability.
- Improved Financial Outcomes: Empowering OEMs to be proactive can lead to increased win rates for aftermarket parts and services and overall revenue predictability. Customers also benefit as they see a reduction in unplanned downtime and emergency part ordering.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Providing OEMs a CMMS-integrated communication tool to meet customers where they are, facilitating swift issue resolution and contextual assistance.
- Seamless Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration: Fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration between OEMs and customers through a new form of standardized document sharing, enabling customers to “one-click” deploy the digital twin of an asset into their CMMS.
The Asset Connect beta program is FREE and currently open to OEMs that would like to explore the solution.
