Whitworth Bros supplies flour to some of the largest food manufacturers in the UK. It operates from production sites in Wellingborough and Peterborough and supplies flour in bulk loads as well as bag deliveries. It prides itself on its ability to supply its customers with high-quality food safe products that fulfil expectations and recognises the importance of monitoring key elements of plant and equipment to ensure it can always meet customer demands.

Challenge

With a view to moving from a reactive to a proactive maintenance strategy, WBL decided in 2009 to invest in the MHC-Memo Pro Acoustic Monitoring system from Holroyd. Part of this undertaking was to employ a Condition Monitoring (CM) technician to rollout the system across its sites.

 

The need to minimise the risk of equipment failure, and resulting impact on production, led Whitworth Bros to devise a proactive CM strategy. It considered various monitoring options – such as vibration and temperature – and attended many trade shows, eventually discovering the MHC range of instruments from Holroyd.

 

WBL started collating data capture routes across all WBL sites and within a short time, started data acquisition and analysis. WBL recognised that the hardware and software associated with the Memo Pro system is well designed and constructed and the analysis software allows new data to be quickly downloaded and compared against historic data for all machines detailed for each production area. 

Solution

With data acquisition routes established, condition monitoring of production critical plant commenced. This enabled WBL to take a proactive approach to monitoring and maintenance of equipment at its Wellingborough and Peterborough sites.

 

The MHC-Memo Pro readily identified machines which were in need of remedial action and appropriate preventative maintenance was undertaken. Where machines were thought to be beyond routine servicing, they were withdrawn from service as part of planned maintenance activity. WBL devised a cost metric calculation to assess the savings to the company off the back of the newly implemented CM activity.  This approach is beneficial in helping justify the expenditure and resource costs allocated to this particular CM strategy as well as balancing the CM approach against that of machinery failure.

 

Data collection takes place on a regular basis for all critical plant and machinery. This allows engineering resource to be directed to the plant in need of maintenance and this is organised as part of planned, proactive activity, rather than as a result of a machinery breakdown.

 

WBL uses a suite of sensors that are compatible with the MHC-Memo Pro system. The standard magnetic mounted sensor is used to collect most information with the hand-held, extended probe allowing data capture in hard to reach areas. Low profile sensors have also been installed to allow critical plant data to be gathered. All three sensors are readily connected to the MHC-Memo Pro and data can be captured almost instantaneously.

 

WBL has found the MHC-Memo Pro to be a robust, user-friendly and comprehensive tool. The data reduction and analysis software allows analysis to be completed in an effective and timely manner.

WBL highlights the following benefits:

•  Usability – its data collection method is straightforward and hardware easy to operate. It has excellent ergonomics and is robust.

•  Intuitive – it doesn’t require intensive training. Data routes can be compiled readily, allowing important data to be gathered and analysis to be undertaken and completed promptly.

•  Multiuser application

WBL currently carries out routine monthly data capture, supplemented with weekly collections for any machines suspected of having an underlying bearing issue. The Memo Pro is also used to take one-off readings to help correctly diagnose individual machine issues as they arise, thus reducing incorrect diagnosis of plant issues.

Current coverage at the Wellingborough site see’s the collection of data spanning 2500 separate data points – and this ensures that a comprehensive dataset exists which allows machine condition trending to be completed.

 

WBL has devised a cost metric calculation to assess the savings to the company off the back of the newly implemented CM activity. It recognises that the CM approach has significantly reduced the potential for unplanned production stoppages. 

 

Existing coverage sees most of the Wellingborough site plant captured using the range of standard sensor products, so WBL is now looking at monitoring challenges they face with oscillatory equipment (flour sifters) and will be investigating technology that allows condition monitoring of these machines.