Remote Machine Monitoring

What is Remote Machine Monitoring?

One of any manufacturer’s biggest fears is that a machine will break down in the middle of production, leading to unscheduled downtime, delayed orders and unhappy customers. Given that it’s virtually impossible for a human to physically inspect and monitor each piece of equipment 24/7, a remote equipment monitoring system can help.

With remote machine monitoring, an automated system is installed that keeps track of how each machine or piece of equipment is functioning and sends an alert both for regularly scheduled preventative maintenance as well as in the event of a malfunction. 

This type of machine monitoring system means that management is alerted to the need to take action even if they are not onsite at the time. 

What are the Benefits of Remote Machine Monitoring?

Real-time machine monitoring provides a number of benefits including:

• Instant notifications about malfunctions preventing unnecessary downtime.
• Ongoing remote equipment monitoring results in a collection of data that can be shared with maintenance professionals in the case of unexplained breakdowns.
• Using remote equipment management to create a preventative maintenance schedule and know which machines have been serviced when.
• With real-time machine monitoring in the cloud, many issues can be resolved remotely with no need to be onsite. 

What are the Challenges of Remote Machine Monitoring?

Despite the many advantages to remote machine monitoring, it does also raise several challenges. There are data and cybersecurity concerns in any remote system and the fear that a hacker or disgruntled employee could steal data or conduct other nefarious activities. Because many industrial machines were not originally designed to be part of a remote equipment monitoring system, they don’t necessarily have safeguards in place and could be at greater risk for security breaches when connected to a network. 

Learn How to Increase Your Factory Productivity by 25%

Get eBook

In addition, not all machine monitoring systems are compatible with all types of equipment. If some machines in the assembly line are not being monitored by the system, it’s possible that problems will be missed if the root cause lies in one of the unmonitored machines. 

These challenges can easily be overcome by choosing the right remote monitoring system that meets security demands and is compatible with the specific machinery used.