September 27, 2024 Use of Remote Services Surges

Technology enhances operational efficiency and mitigates skills gaps.

An expanding number of end users have adopted or plan to adopt remote services to minimize and prevent downtime, optimize operations, and mitigate the impact of skills gaps in the workforce, according to Trends in Remote Services & Monitoring, a report published in January 2024 by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

According to the report, 54.1 percent of end users have increased their investment in remote services and monitoring since the beginning of 2021, and remote support is seen as a very effective tool in helping address skills gaps by most end users (87.3 percent) and OEMs (96.8 percent).

The report assesses post-pandemic use of remote services by end users and OEMs, examines the most important attributes driving investment in remote services and monitoring, and explores the barriers to this investment. It also examines the future role of remote services and monitoring technology.

For end users, remote support is the most popular remote service used currently or planned to be adopted, followed by remote training, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance. End users are less interested in virtual factory acceptance tests and remote commissioning with one respondent noting, “To get a good picture of the equipment, you have to be there …the physical aspect of a factory acceptance test is crucial.”

Remote support

When considering remote service, remote support tends to be the first technology adopted. Used by more than half of the end users surveyed (55.1 percent), remote support encompasses remote troubleshooting, diagnostics, and repair. It often can solve a problem more quickly and economically than an in-person visit from an OEM technician. Adopters of the technology have found it can also reduce costly downtime, optimize machine/operation performance, and offset skills shortages.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person interactions were not possible, remote support helped keep equipment running efficiently, maintain production, and update lines. Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, the technology has been embraced due to the benefits it can generate. As a result, most software- based issues are now addressed via remote support, and many mechanical failures can also be corrected without an on-site visit.

Remote monitoring

Currently used by 37.5 percent of end users, remote equipment monitoring takes remote support a step further by equipping machines with sensors. These sensors monitor parameters such as temperature, pressure, and vibration, communicate this data via the Internet of Things, and rely on cloud computing for analytics.

Predictive maintenance

Progressing another step, remote monitoring supports predictive maintenance. Although a relatively small number of end users (18.4 percent) rely on remote monitoring data to perform predictive maintenance, interest is surging, with 50.4 percent of survey respondents planning to implement it by 2026. Analyzing the data captured by the digital monitoring tools makes it possible to predict asset behavior and perform repairs proactively. This reduces downtime and product loss, the major drivers pushing the implementation of predictive maintenance, according to another PMMI report, Packaging and Predictive Maintenance. Other benefits of adopting a predictive maintenance scheme include longer machine life and reduced parts requirements because replacements are installed as needed rather than on an arbitrary schedule.

Predictive maintenance relies primarily on three tools: thermography, full equipment monitoring, and computerized maintenance management system software. Equipment monitoring may involve analysis of vibration, oil, and machine-level fault codes, according to another PMMI report, Challenges and Opportunities for Packaging and Processing Operations. Predictive maintenance programs also may include parts room setup and organization, risk and reliability software, tracking hours of use until downtime, outage planning and scheduled total productive maintenance, risk minimization, and mean time between failures data.

The transition to predictive maintenance relies on hardware, typically smart sensors, and software/analytics (often hosted in the cloud). This means installing new machines or retrofitting machines, which can self-monitor by collecting performance data such as run time, voltage (especially for motors), speed, pressure, temperature, and vibration and generate an alert if attention is needed.

The Packaging and Predictive Maintenance report notes new business models are needed to ensure that predictive maintenance technology will optimize equipment performance for end users while generating revenue for OEMs. The Machine as a Service, or MaaS, model is one option. Instead of buying the machine, the end user makes payments based on output, e.g., the number of cases palletized. With maintenance integral to this business model, it’s possible to minimize downtime, maximize machine life, and benefit both the end user and OEM.

Remote training

Remote training can support onboarding and upskilling efforts, with instructor-led online sessions viewed as the most cost-effective format. However, the Trends in Remote Services & Monitoring report notes that a significant number of end users believe that placing a live instructor next to the machine remains the most effective training option. So, training is likely to remain a hybrid remote/in-person model. Nevertheless, despite some resistance from older workers, the hybrid model could shift toward the remote side with the evolution of augmented reality (AR) and the potential the interactive experience offers to bridge the gap between remote and in-person training. Most end users (70 percent) characterize AR-based training as very or somewhat effective.

Virtual factory acceptance tests and online commissioning

With COVID-19 restrictions no longer in place, there is less demand for virtual factory acceptance tests and remote commissioning. These remote services are embraced less enthusiastically because many end users believe equipment can be best evaluated in person, especially when complex or custom machines are involved.

Barriers to adoption

Despite the benefits of remote services, the adoption of the technologies faces barriers, including costs, especially when retrofitting machines, limited in-house IT skills to maintain and update systems, cybersecurity risks, and multiple interfaces across plants and machines.

However, cybersecurity risks seem less of a concern today as end users have strengthened their IT networks and shifted to more secure remote access methods. The Trends in Remote Services & Monitoring report predicts the use of externally managed secure and converged networks will grow at the expense of cell modem access and direct virtual private networks (VPNs). Growth in usage of converged networks is expected to be particularly strong, nearly tripling from 12.3 percent to 32.4 percent in three years. This expansion will be partly at the expense of direct VPNs, where usage is expected to drop from 71.0 percent to 18.1 percent during the same period.

A solid business case for adoption is essential when considering any new technology. To help end users and OEMs better understand maintenance program costs, PMMI’s OpX Leadership Network has developed the Asset Reliability Roadmap for the Consumer Products Industry. It defines common terms, outlines key performance indicators related to people, operations, and finances, provides useful calculations, and delivers the leadership guidance needed to develop an asset reliability initiative. This cooperative effort can significantly improve overall equipment effectiveness by identifying actions most likely to minimize the consequences of planned and unplanned downtime. Opx Leadership Network tools, including the Asset Reliability Roadmap, are free to download at www.opxleadershipnetwork.org.

What’s next?

Remote services will continue to gain ground, particularly for support, troubleshooting, monitoring, and training. However, a hybrid remote/ in-person model will remain because the advantages of an on-site presence sometimes still outweigh the time and cost savings associated with remote interactions.

Maintenance will move beyond predictive to prescriptive, which relies on machine learning to determine when an asset will fail and how to fix it. After the work has been completed, monitoring continues to confirm that the action taken solved the problem, and the tool begins to identify where the next improvement should be.

Remote services capabilities will be on display at PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3–6, 2024, McCormick Place, Chicago). Ranking as the biggest packaging and processing event on the planet in 2024, the show will present 2,500 exhibitors spread across 1.3 million net square feet of floor space and foster idea-sharing among 40+ vertical industries. Highlights include free educational sessions, a myriad of networking opportunities, and solutions to address automation, production efficiency, sustainability, flexibility, and e-commerce needs as well as other hot topics and trends. For more information, visit packexpointernational.com.

Jorge Izquierdo is the Vice President, Market Development for The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) and oversees PMMI’s market development, research and programs for strengthening the competitiveness of North American suppliers of packaging and processing technologies. He is also responsible for industry engagement initiatives for continuous improvement of processing and packaging operations.

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