The best refrigeration contractors know the value of preventive maintenance, and perform it regularly for supermarket customers. As a way to enhance that initiative, Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions, Inc., has launched a new service offering for supermarket customers, called "condition based maintenance." The launch of
condition based maintenance broadens Emerson's existing
ProAct Services portfolio and offers new value to retailers primarily in the areas of maintenance management and energy management, and additionally in compliance for refrigerant management and food quality.
Condition based maintenance gives supermarket managers advanced and increased visibility into equipment performance and maintenance practices. With condition based maintenance, maintenance is performed based on the equipment condition, and equipment can be serviced equipment before it has deteriorated to the point where it may fail if not serviced. Emerson sources say retailers can see typical equipment maintenance savings of 18% to 40% with condition based maintenance, compared to preventive maintenance (PM) or "run to failure" practices.
“Similar to automotive diagnostics systems that alert users when their vehicle has low tire pressure or needs an oil change, Emerson’s condition based maintenance service provides retailers with the ability to perform maintenance proactively before equipment failure, and more importantly, before a potential problem is noticed by the customer,” says James Mitchell, product manager at
Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions. “With advanced awareness of potential maintenance problems, supermarkets can better utilize resources to serve their customers, as well as reduce equipment failure rates, energy costs and maintenance overtime charges.”
Emerson’s condition based maintenance service leverages algorithms that compare equipment sensor data of expected behavior against actual equipment behavior to detect anomalies. Advisories are issued based on the equipment condition and can be forwarded to Emerson’s ProAct Service Center where, as part of the Smart Dispatch service, technicians perform triage of all advisories and cross reference against other potentially related store alarms or events, such as setpoint changes, recent work orders or past alarms, to determine the optimized dispatching of technicians.
