May 2019

| SOLUTIONS | www.smartmachinesandfactories.com May 2019 | 29 | digital solutions enable them to perform their inspection rounds more quickly, as routes can be easily configured and scheduled on a computer and then loaded onto their handheld device. Scheduling routes in this way provides flexibility, as data can be gathered on a specific date, multiple times per day, or anything in between. To add structure to inspection rounds and create enforced repeatability, the latest mobile apps - such as AMS Inspection Rounds from Emerson - provide automated workflows. This shows personnel the specific steps that they need to follow in the field, ensuring consistency across different users and shifts. Easy-to-use, clear dashboards display routes, statuses, alerts and items requiring action. This enables critical safety issues to be highlighted and work orders to be created, and helps management prioritise their issue resolution activities. In addition to accurately and reliably recording the data required for their logs and checklists, operators can also digitally note any abnormal or hazardous conditions discovered in the field during their routes, such as unusual equipment noise, spills, smells, or safety hazards. All data inputs are user-, date-, and time- stamped as they occur, ensuring accurate record-keeping and regulatory compliance. Users can also access historical data, to help them identify and eliminate the root causes of recurring problems. Upon completion of a route, reports can be exported to digital spreadsheets when required, for easy data storage. Mobile apps improve data accuracy by eliminating transcription errors, and once the information is digitised, it becomes much easier to share with the plant’s other automation systems. It is vital for management to have early awareness of any abnormal situations and concerns within the plant, so they can expeditiously decide what remedial action to take. By automatically integrating key data collected in the field with other plant systems, mobile apps facilitate faster decision-making. Ensuring that issues are detected, reported and resolved earlier can lead to significant improvements in plant reliability, safety and performance. For further information please visit: www.emerson.com/ AMSInspectionRounds data entered into a route to be automatically synchronised with the asset database, when there is a Wi-Fi connection. This means that if the route is taking place over multiple days, users can track its progress and data can be shared with other handheld devices that are configured with the system, so that work isn’t duplicated. A technician can see if a route has already been started by another user, and can then start collecting data from a different part of the route, without overriding the other operator’s entries. Even if a technician is servicing an instrument far from the asset database server or in a Wi-Fi dead zone, changes are cached locally on the handheld device and uploaded as soon as it automatically connects with the system, either wirelessly or via USB cable connection. Benefits of going digital By enabling electronic data capture and automating the process of reporting safety and performance issues, mobile apps for handheld devices provide a range of benefits. For personnel, it is much more convenient to take a handheld device into the field rather than having to carry piles of paperwork and spare pens. In addition,