Alongside the development of new and improved lifting products and systems over recent years, Finnish manufacturer Konecranes has placed a particular emphasis on new remote digital monitoring and analytical technologies.
Central to this is Konecranes Truconnect, a system that the manufacturer explains can give insights into the performance of a crane, or a fleet, to predict the most suitable and timely maintenance for optimum service, as well as flag up and impending production risks and accident hazards.
The company’s Truconnect technology harnesses power of the industrial internet. According to the manufacturer, the heart of which is based on a series of machinery sensors that work together to gather and analyse data for specific purposes.
"With powerful but highly accessible technologies such as Truconnect, crane maintenance is an entire generation ahead of the days of external inspections, laborious dismantling to find and fix problems – or simply fixing something when it fails," explains John Bailey, general manager, service development at Konecranes SE Asia Pacific.
He adds: "With the accident liability that outdated practices entail – and the potential for expensive downtime that companies just can’t afford these days – old approaches are just no longer accepted as safe and productive risk management in the world-class industries we serve."
These industries include automotive and general manufacturing, bulk materials handling, mining, power generation, petrochemical, ports and container handling, pulp and paper, shipyards, steel and waste-to-energy.
Konecranes has integrated its Truconnect remote monitoring and reporting and the Mainman planned maintenance results captured by mobile enabled technicians into an easily accessed online customer portal. Under the ‘yourkonecranes.com’ web portal, this gives real-time browserbased access to individual customers’ equipment data and maintenance history.
It also links usage data, maintenance data and asset details, which is said to give a transparent and complete view of events and activities of a crane across any selected time interval. The aggregated data can be viewed, analysed and shared quickly, for a single asset or an entire fleet.
This data is sent to this customer portal from Konecranes Truconnect remote monitoring and reporting technology along with Mainman planned maintenance findings. This can be then be applied to a major variety of lifting equipment across the range of industries Konecranes serves.
Truconnect collates data on running time, motor starts, work cycles and brake condition and can also send alters by text or email of hazardous events such as hoist overloads, emergency stops and over-temperatures.
The Mainman planned maintenance leverages Konecranes’ ‘Risk and Recommendation’ method to visually categorize findings into safety, production and undetermined risks allowing for easy prioritization and planning of future maintenance activities by asset.
"To make the best use of this innovative technology, insights can be drawn by observing anomalies, patterns and trends, helping users make fact-based decisions," explains Bailey.
Through this, anomalies can show up as faults, such as overloads. Such events are considered abnormal and should be addressed promptly as they occur as knowing when an overload occurs is the first step in identifying its cause.
Elsewhere, patterns can reveal relationships between variables so overload or emergency stop alerts or excessive starts coud indicate the need for operator training designed to reducing human-error downtime and the risk of safety incidents.
While the study of trends can prioritise corrective action and investments and analysing data behavior over time supports the development of predictive maintenance.
He adds: "Our aim is not to be confusing or overwhelming with a flood of data and analytics. We have teams of experienced staff who take a consultative approach to help guide our customers’ decision making. We share our findings, provide recommendations and discuss how each action can optimise particular aspects of operations and maintenance. "Konecranes Remote Support experts can communicate with your crane, no matter where it is, and provide remote support and troubleshooting in the event of a breakdown or indication of a fault. The data from Truconnect can be used to identify the need for corrective on-site maintenance and spare parts.
"Truconnect’s integration into the ‘yourkonecranes.com’ portal is designed to improve the user experience and is a key development in delivering lifecycle care in real time, which will help extend the life of valuable assets by planning better maintenance programs and identifying faults and problems at an earlier stage".
Earlier this year Konecranes has broadened its industrial cranes portfolio with the addition of its new CXT Neo crane, a system that encompasses: "agility, power, ergonomics and preventative maintenance". A machine that features Konecranes’ Truconnect remote service package that allows customers to monitor crane usage, with a view to helping improve safety and optimising maintenance decisions.
The CXT Neo is available as a single or double girder, or as an under-running solution, and leverages inverter hoisting (ASR) technology that is claimed to improve lifting speeds by up to 50%, and delivers precise load positioning as well as controlled slow and step less speed control.
According to Konecranes, these power features contribute to greater production efficiencies but also increase product lifespan and reduce potential maintenance costs.
Konecranes explained: "Supplied with grey or yellow main girder, the NEO solution also features an advanced Energy Chain, the simplified design of which eliminates the need for additional associated parts normally associated with a festoon system.
"In addition to maximising working space under the girder, by moving along a canal fastened to the main girder, the composite chain delivers enhanced operational safety by protecting the power and control cables.
"This serves to thereby reduce mechanical wear and the risk of external damage as no electrical cables hang from the crane’s structure.
The Neo crane is also said to benefit from an "ergonomically designed", single-grip mini joystick radio that is both lightweight and easy to use.
Gordon Adie, sales director UK and West Europe at Konecranes, said: "We are confident that the CXT Neo Crane will be widely accepted by customers across many industry sectors.
"Not only does it stands as a powerful and versatile lifting solution, the decision to include Truconnect as a standard feature will serve to widen its appeal further."
