The maintenance department at Composites Busch, led by Maintenance and Infrastructures Deputy Manager Alec Dudognon, faced a critical challenge. Their manufacturing processes with carbon fiber generate fine particles, which can be “really bad for the workers.” Therefore, the facility’s HVAC and extraction systems are not just for comfort—they are essential for worker health and safety.
The primary concern was the inability to predict a failure in this critical infrastructure. A sudden breakdown would not halt production, but it would immediately compromise the clean air environment, which was unacceptable to the company. As Alec Dudognon states, “These systems should always work to have a healthy environment for staff.” He needed a reliable method to “monitor equipment to predict if any failure is coming” rather than discovering a failure only after it had already impacted the team’s environment.
Composites Busch adopted the Predictive Maintenance solution from Sensorfact, strategically placing sensors on the motors of their critical extraction units. The implementation was remarkably straightforward. “The installation was really easy, you just have to glue some parts and put the sensor on it,” explains Alec.
He found the software platform equally intuitive. “The software is very easy to use, the illustrations are good. We don’t have 10,000 options, that makes it very easy to use.” Alec now performs a weekly check every Monday, analyzing the graphs for any “increase or decrease in vibration” and discussing key insights with his Sensorfact consultant to stay ahead of potential issues.
Proactive Identification of a Critical Failure: The solution quickly proved its value on the most important equipment – the blower in the injection area, where particle concentration is highest. “With the software, I could notice that the vibration was slowly increasing… not in a good way,” Alec recalls. This early detection, supported by insights from his consultant, allowed the team to proactively plan maintenance.
Preventing a Health Hazard: The team had to change the motor and clean the filter. This motor was old and declining, a fact Alec states “we had not noticed without the continuous monitoring”. By preventing this critical extraction unit from failing, Composites Busch upheld its commitment to a safe and healthy work environment for its staff. “The less corrective maintenance, the happier we are,” says Alec.
A Flexible and Valuable Service: Alec also highlights the benefit of Sensorfact’s service model. He appreciates the subscription-based approach, which provides significant flexibility. It allows Composites Busch to easily add sensors, enabling them to scale their monitoring as needed without large upfront investments. This flexibility allows the company to focus on what matters most. As Alec concludes, “It’s not a financial subject, it’s more to provide a good environment for everyone.”
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