SKF’s sales, service, and management teams joined forces to deliver an advanced, integrated online monitoring solution for a key customer in Tunisia, who operates nine mines, five plants, and eleven production lines. The solution combines robust products with cutting-edge technology, bolstered by expert-led training, ensuring reliable implementation and long-term value through predictive maintenance, improved machine uptime and optimised asset performance through data-driven decision-making.
The customer faced several challenges: With no visibility into machine operating status, equipment was frequently run until premature failure occurred. These costly unplanned breakdowns, combined with long Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), were further exacerbated
by the complexity of the process and the considerable distances between production lines and machinery. Seeking expert support and a tailored solution, the customer reached out to SKF.
“Our standard practice is to bring together expertise from across our sales, service and management teams to assess, detect and analyse the customer’s challenges, ultimately presenting a SKF Industry 4.0 ecosystem,” says Marwen Chebbi, SKF Sales Manager Tunisia.
The collaborative approach led the team to identify the vibrating screen, which is the most critical process and the most challenging for anomaly detection, as the key component to monitor.
Building on this insight, the team developed a fully integrated solution incorporating the SKF Multilog IMx16 condition monitoring system and cloud-based @ptitude, along with setup and configuration as well as training. “Our solution is also focused on helping the customer better understand the key role of vibration monitoring in early failure detection, centralising the machine’s status output or data and delivering it in real time as well as all the associated benefits,” explains Chebbi.
SKF’s compact and versatile Multilog IMx-16 delivers critical, real-time insights into machine and equipment health, translating into significant time and cost savings for the user. Installed on the vibrating screen, its 16-channel setup continuously captures data from multiple sensors, which is automatically stored and shared via the SKF Cloud. This information is monitored and analysed by specialists based at SKF Remote Diagnostic Services (RDC/REP) in South Africa, which serves as a central hub where proactive reports and alerts are generated.
“Armed with these insights, along with expert recommendations, our customer can swiftly address existing or emerging issues and efficiently schedule maintenance before failures occur,” highlights Chebbi. “The customer can look forward to significant savings through reduced downtime and minimised parts replacement. Additionally, the Multilog system seamlessly integrates with the customer’s historian data store, enabling advanced machine learning algorithms and analytics, ultimately supporting more sustainable operations across the manufacturing lines.”
Chebbi further notes that, beyond cost and efficiency gains, the solution delivers meaningful sustainability benefits, including reduced emissions through more efficient operation, decreased material consumption from fewer replacement parts and extended service life of machines and components. “This supports SKF’s commitment to environmental responsibility and strengthens our broader sustainability narrative, creating shared value for both the customer and the environment.”
SKF Tunisia also engaged their authorised dealer, Equipement Moderne, in this project, emphasising the critical role these solutions play in driving the mutual growth and long-term success of both businesses.
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