Welcome And Series Wrap-Up

Welcome to Eco Ask Why, a podcast that dives into industrial manufacturing topics and spotlights the heroes that keep America running. I'm your host, Chris Granger, and on this podcast, we do not cover the latest features and benefits on products that come to market. Instead, we focus on advice and insight from the top minds of industry because people and ideas will be how America remains number one in manufacturing in the world. Welcome to Eco Ask Why. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Look forward to spending some time with you today. And this is kind of this episode an episode where we're going to be wrapping up this dive into industrial manufacturing that we've been doing for the last nine or ten months. It's been a really fun to take these topics each and every month and unpack them for you. Hopefully, you found a lot of value out of it. We've talked about how everything's been involving so much in industrial manufacturing and starting with the workforce directly and the skill set, the talent that's needed to move industrial manufacturing in the future. We spent some time talking about digital twins. That was a fun dive as we started thinking about how digital twins could be utilized to simulate operational success and validation and training and things like that. We talked about predictive power of AI agents and what that could look like in manufacturing and just had some fun unpacking that at length. Then we spent some time over a couple months really diving into industrial control panels specifically because there's so many core components that we want to make sure that you were familiar with and understood. We talked about electrical safety, reliability, connectivity, data acquisition. Then we also did a little dive into industrial cybersecurity and what does that look like and things we need to be thinking about these days. And then most recently we talked about data-driven manufacturing, and that leads us into this. And today we're going to have talk really discuss how we can take these insights that we get from all this data that's available to us and transfer that to impact. Okay, so insights to impact, uh, because it comes down to decision making and fulfilling what engineering is requiring of us in manufacturing today. And while the technical foundation of a digital twin provides really great framework for simulation and modeling, let's just think about what the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal of a data-driven manufacturing is bigger than that, right? Because the real transformation occurs when that operational data becomes the digital foundation for our leadership, for the decisions that we make. That empowers the engineers, the technicians, the plant managers to make faster, smarter decisions. And in modern manufacturing environments, data should not simply record what has already happened. Okay. It should instead provide insight needed to shape what decisions are made next. Okay, you see how that works? Then when it's properly implemented, that digital infrastructure reduces the operational stresses that we all feel. It also improves our system reliability and creates a more rewarding and impactful career path for people that are thinking about coming into the industrial manufacturing space. And this is what we're all about. We want to encourage as many people as we can to come into industrial manufacturing because we see there's so much value to be had here, and there's so much value when we keep producing more. Okay, so now we're going to talk about informed decision making, okay, and how thinking about the data that comes in, how we can move beyond reactive maintenance. So in the traditional manufacturing environment, operational data functions as a like a like a post-mortem tool. Think about it like that, right? So we we study stuff after it fails, and there's there's value in that. And maintenance teams troubleshoot and restore production, and they then they just move on, right? And without fully understanding the root cause uh of the ultimate instruction that happened. But modern intelligent devices are changing that dynamic very quick, very quickly. I mean, you have components like Rockwell has these electronic overload relays, and Eaton has the same thing as well. Yeah, Scowa has these different types of devices as well. All the different manufacturers out there, they give us transform transformative data to help us take the action that we need, right? And it really become an active operational asset, really, we start thinking about it. Because these devices provide critical diagnostics information. So we're talking about trip snapshots and operational status monitoring and fault histories, everything that happened, as well as motor protection analysis. I mean, so the information can be accessed directly at the device level or remotely through a secure web interface. This is really the technology, it's just it blows you away. And what the result is you have a very different troubleshooting process. So instead of guessing what caused a motor failure, your teams now have the ability through data to identify what occurred and uh ultimately address the underlying issue that could have led to that failure. Right? And when you start thinking about this, and we've we've we've seen instances at an electrical equipment company where a railroad manufacturer was having a bunch of repeat nuisance trips over this this large grinder motor. And the assumptions suggested that the equipment failure uh or uh it suggested that it was like a motor degradation. But after doing some diagnostics, we were able to under to determine that really what was happening is that the equipment was being overfed. Okay, and that and since the equipment was being overfed, uh that was putting an undue stress on that equipment and leading to the premature failures, right? And once you've identified that issue, right, then you can make the necessary adjustments and eliminate the problem. Then in this case, they save a significant amount of unnecessary uh downtime on equipment and replacement costs. So it's using technology this way, like the intelligent diagnostics, that transforms maintenance from reactive to uh oh, this machine just broke down. Wait a minute, what can we do to get ahead of it so that we're not having this issue in the future, you know, and moving to more proactive, you know, because that that plan downtime is so much more cost effective than the unplanned. And so, what does this look like on a plant floor? So, for many manufacturers, the path forward uh towards like this data-driven operations begins with practical steps, right? This we're not talking about coming in trying to change the the whole culture overnight, but just small additions, small steps of intelligence to existing equipment to generate meaningful insights. So you may want to like consider adding a smart motor overload relay to uh to start recording when you do have those motor trips so you can start diagnosing them. Maybe you want to start putting some power monitoring devices to uncovering some hit hidden energy inefficiencies that may be out there. Uh, they have some really great technology these days in vibration sensors. Uh, so you start detecting bearing wear before a failure happens. And if you integrate all these dashboards together and start pulling this data in a way in a way that a maintenance technician can actually consume it and understand, right, then they can start making real-time equipment health decisions. So instead of treating each machine or piece of equipment as an isolator assets, you could utilize this technology to turn the equipment into information sources through a connected system. You see that that starts changing the game when you start thinking of it that way and start approaching decision making in such a manner. And and manufacturers out there often begin by applying these tools to really think about it. I want to go what's critical first. I want to go what's critical first and what's going to give me the biggest impact on return. I'm going to prove it there, okay? Because then if that works out, man, then then I can replicate that throughout my plan, right? And scale it out. So this is kind of consider this like an incremental strategy because this allows you as an organization to build that digital foundation without disrupting existing operations and just build it out from there. Because at the end of the day, we're trying to go from proactive to reactive operations because we it's expensive to firefight in industrial manufacturing. And one of the most significant advantages of intelligent monitoring systems, like we're talking about, is their ability to move this from this uh reactive to uh a more proactive. And historically, if you start, I mean, I've been in plants my whole life, and I and you see this happen. Maintenance departments operate with a firefighting mentality. This is just what works. So something breaks down that triggers a request for repair, and technicians respond, okay? And you have to respond whenever it happens, right? And this is why it's gonna be very much like a firefighter mentality, and production schedules and operations always have to adjust to accommodate this on plan downtime. Okay, so this is a big deal, big deal. But when you start incrementing uh implementing real-time monitoring and predictive analytics, that changes everything, okay? Because when we start thinking about this, these platforms, again, they're they're they're pulling in, they're monitoring data on a continuous basis, and they're analyzing these variables like vibration and motor current and temperature and energy and all these things. And those systems give you the ability to detect early indicators of any type of potential failure long before that the moment of where the equipment goes down completely. So instead of just think about how much better of an operation inside plant would be if they instead of had they they weren't responding to 3 a.m. down calls. Right? What if their maintenance teams could schedule repairs during this these planned downtime windows where you can manage the cost much more efficiently? Production managers can gain a greater scheduling confidence doing this, and what you're moving towards is a greater predictability and stuff and stability within the plant. And that's what that there's power with that. So if you start automating and monitoring these different data points simultaneously, you start building a self-correcting operational environment where these problems are identified long before they become disruptive. Okay, we're not going to eliminate the problems, but we just want to know what they are so that we can we can address them directly. And then there's we fulfill this through the innovation that keeps happening. So despite concerns that automation might reduce the importance of people, right? The opposite is proving to be true in modern manufacturing. Data-driven systems are transforming the nature of engineering and maintenance roles. So they're they're just they're changing, they're shifting up. As automated systems do start handling repetitive monitoring tasks like data collection, so we're not walking around with a clipboard as much, you know, fault logging and inventory tracking, things like that. What we're able to do for the people that were doing those tasks was elevate them to higher value challenges that require creativity and analysis and strategic thinking, the things that make us uh a valuable part of industrial manufacturing. This evolution, this evolution is changing the nature of industrial careers in some meaningful ways because it's reducing redundancy. So these digital tools eliminate these outdated manual processes that like clipboard-based inspections, right, or hand maintenance or handwritten rather maintenance logs. So technicians now can instead they can access the detailed equipment diagnostics directly from digital dashboards or even phones now. I mean, this is crazy how the technology has really shifted. And what we're doing is we're empowering problem solving because with access to real-time operational metrics and performance projections, such as OEE, right, overall equipment, equipment effectiveness, engineers and technicians are no longer limited to repairing just machines. They can proactively identify opportunities to improve system efficiency and reliability. And at the same, all along, what this is what this is really doing inside of industrial manufacturing, and I don't think we can just fly by this, you're increasing job satisfaction. So employees, right, they're being trained to walk to work alongside these intelligent systems, and they're they're finding opportunities to expand their career, to learn, to bring more value. So instead of just maintaining this equipment, they become system optimizers and innovative type thinkers within their organization. And this is this is great. It's a wonderful step for us. So now we have to think about how we preserve this knowledge and we and bridge the generational gap because manufacturing, it is facing a significant workforce challenge. It has faced this for years. You have people retiring and experienced technicians moving out, and this stuff is not being transferred, right, at oftentimes uh through through apprenticeship programs and things like that, through all hands-on experiences. Uh, and and historically, uh people within industrial manufacturings develop uh like um an intuitive type of understanding of machine behavior because they were just around, they were listening, they were talking to each other, they would and they could they could understand these subtles, these subtle warning signs before problems escalated. And those people, you know, bless them, you know, that they're they're we're finding this less and less of those types of capable type of people in these manufacturing facilities, but now the digital monitoring systems start helping elevate this and extending this effort expertise because the monitoring systems themselves are starting to capture these patterns and histories and trends and and and and they document this knowledge, right? This does not just go on and go live in, say, one individual, but it's experience for it's an opera, it's an opportunity for everyone to tap into that. Okay, so it's really cool when at the same time, younger workers that are coming to the industry are comfortable with these interfaces. Okay, because think about it, they grew up on them, they grew up with tablets and smartphones and things like that. So when you have these intuitive displays and mobile-friendly accessibility and uh user interfaces to like smartphones and tablets, you're just making it so much easier to draw in people into the into the industry directly. So this is a combination of captured institutional knowledge, right, and intuitive digital tools that bridge the generational divide that used to be there. And when we lean into it and we think of it that way, it changes everything, right? And this also makes manufacturing careers more attractive to a new generation of engineers and technicians and operators, and that's really cool. That is really cool. So you have to get started. You know, you get started, you build a digital foundation. So if you're thinking right now, uh, like how do I take the things you're talking about here, Chris? How do I take this and implement this in a strategic way? I'm gonna give you three things to consider, okay? First, we've already talked about it to some degree, but identify those critical assets. Focus on where the downtime carries the greatest operational cost or production risk. If you just identify that, that'll give you the area that that where attention needs to be given. Second, start looking at intelligent sensing. So there's different smart devices out there. Look, an electrical equipment company, we would love to come and talk to you about this and and and walk through you with you through this decision-making process because you can start deploying these smart devices that maybe you want to look at motor currents, or maybe you want to look at vibration or temperature or power consumption, whatever it may be, we can help you figure that out. But that intelligent sensing is big. And then third, this is where the rubber meets your road. Make the data visible, ensure that the operational insights are accessible through dashboards or maybe integrated control systems or mobile devices so that engineers, engineers, and maintenance teams can act on that information. Like you don't want it just living in a silo for one or two people to understand. No, you want you want to get this uh deployed so that it can be adopted and then you start building advocates, okay? So even incremental improvements and visibility, as small as you may think they are, incremental increment uh improvements in visibility dramatically reduce troubleshooting time and starts increasing reliability and starts building advocacy, okay? So at EECO, this is what we're this is what we do. We have a role in helping you enable data-driven manufacturing because we work with manufacturers across multiple industries, from wood processing to food production to metals to packaging to chemical, pharma across the board. And we're helping these many these these different types of manufacturers begin this transition. And many organizations start by looking at these key motor control systems with intelligent devices. And we have the partners, we have Rockwell, we have Eaton, we have all the vendors in place, the the strategic partners aligned to walk with you to help you enable deeper visibility into quim into equipment performance without requiring ripping everything out and redoing it. We're talking about strategic integration of intelligent components, and then you can be able to gradually build a digital infrastructure that supports predicted maintenance, helps improve operational decision making, and sets you up for long-term system reliability. So at the end of the day, we have to turn data into decisions that leaders make. And the future of manufacturing will not be defined solely by faster machines or increased automation. That's gonna be a great part of it, but it's not what it's gonna be. It's gonna be defined how effectively organizations convert operational data into informed decision making. Because when that data becomes visible, contextual, and then moves to actionable, that's when the game changes. That's when engineers and technicians gain the clarity needed to move from this troubleshooting, firefighting mentality towards continuous improvement to give you a competitive advantage, to add to your edge in the market. It's a competitive market we live in. This is what this is this is a practical way to gain an edge because the real promise of digital manufacturing is not simply operational efficiency, it's the ability to create an environment where people can lead the systems instead of chasing problems, and that's where insights become impact. So we really hope you've enjoyed this dive into industrial manufacturing. And look, at Electrical Equipment Company, we have so many, so many skilled, talented, incredible people that would love to come alongside from the highly technical roles to storerooms to what you name it, procurement. We're here to help. We're here to serve, we're here to connect. And we even have labs. We have labs built, designed, so that you can come in and get hands-on and understand how the technology works, to lower your risk profile, to increase your confidence so that when you add this technology into your facility, you're doing it from a place of understanding, not guesswork. We want to take that guesswork out of it. So schedule some time with us. We'd love for you to come into one of our labs. We'll have bring in uh some sandwiches and sit down and get the brass tacks onto what help you need and let us be a part of designing that with you. So just reach out. So ecoonline.com, you can connect with us there. We have system planning information. We have lots of ways you connect. You can schedule time directly. We'll make sure it's in the show notes here. You can schedule time directly, you can go on our scheduler. And book time to come into one of our labs to have that personal one-on-one conversation that could change everything. And it could be something as small. It's look, I have this one line of motors, and I really want to start implementing some of this technology around that. Let's think through what's a really good way to step into that systematically. You know, we don't want to bite off the whole thing at once. Well, how can we get started? We would love to have that conversation. Or maybe you have some older switch gear and you want to start thinking about modernizing that and upgrading that and start putting a plan together for minernization. This is what we do. And we have the experts that just across the board that are ready to sit and walk with you. So reach out to us, okay? EcoOonline.com. Follow us on LinkedIn. We have a lot of great resources on LinkedIn as well. We'd love to connect with you there. You again reach out, you can reach out to me directly. You can reach out to the Letter Equipment Company. There's all sorts of ways for us to connect and plug in, plug in with you. We do have a weekly new uh not a weekly, a monthly newsletter on LinkedIn as well, so you can connect with us there. But ecoonline.com is the place to go, okay? So look, please share this stuff out. And we really, I cannot emphasize enough how how excited I am starting next month with our new episodes that are going to be coming out. So uh in 1926, Electrical Equipment Company was founded. And here we are, 100 years later, and we're gonna really walk through over these upcoming months some stories, some some of the things that are so core to eco, and we just want to share that with you and just give you a peek behind the curtain and into what has made Electrical Equipment Company uh just stand out for 100 years. 100 years. I'm so excited for this. So it's gonna be excited. Hopefully, you'll be encouraged by it. So thank you so much again for listening. Share this stuff out with others, particularly those that are in an industrial manufacturing uh type of work workspace. We we would love to for to to get these reflections in front of them because there may be something that just just by hearing this, maybe it's like, hey, yeah, I know exactly where we can start. I know it's a good it's gonna be a great launching point for uh to for modernization, and let's let's begin that conversation. So share that stuff out if you don't mind. Thank you so much for listening and for hanging out. We'll see you next month. And remember to keep asking why. Thank you for listening to Eco Ask Why. This show is supported ad-free by Electrical Equipment Company. EECO is redefining the expectations of an electrical distributor by placing people and ideas before products. Please subscribe and share with your colleagues and friends. Also leave comments, feedback, and any new topic that you would like to hear. To learn more or to share your insights, visit ecosy.com that's e co. A S K S W H Y dot com.