Proactive Monitoring in Chile Prevents Downtime and Recovers Production Rates

Industry

Manufacturing

Asset

Multiple Rotating Assets

Technology

FitMachine

Following the success of similar programs in Australia, a Chilean manufacturing site partnered with a local consultant to trial MOVUS FitMachine across four rotating assets.

The goal was simple: to evaluate whether continuous, AI-driven monitoring could provide early warnings of potential failures and help the team shift from reactive to proactive maintenance.

Each asset entered a short AI learning phase, establishing a vibration baseline to help the system detect deviations from normal operation. While two machines remained stable throughout, the other two revealed issues early, giving the site team time to act and prevent further impact.

Critical Faults Caught Before Failure

During the learning phase, Equipment B and D demonstrated the value of early fault detection through AI-driven insights.

Equipment B began showing a steady increase in baseline vibration, rising from 2.2mm/s to 3.6mm/s. This increase coincided with a noticeable drop in production throughput. Based on the trend, a potential failure was flagged, prompting the team to investigate. They confirmed mechanical wear and scheduled a replacement before a breakdown could occur.

Equipment D triggered two significant vibration alarms. The first event was resolved with targeted maintenance, cleaning a plastic filter and re-greasing the asset, which stabilised the vibration. However, a second spike occurred days later, this time without any physical obstruction. The recurrence led the team to replace the equipment entirely, avoiding what could have been a major failure.

In both cases, FitMachine enabled the team to detect and act on signs of deterioration well in advance, proving its ability to catch faults early, even before learning was complete.

Quantifying the Impact: ROI and Operational Risk Reduction

By acting on the early insights provided by FitMachine, the site avoided both costly downtime, safety risks, and production losses, while validating the broader benefits of continuous monitoring.

For Equipment B, a steady rise in vibration led to the proactive replacement of a worn component, restoring production to its original rate and avoiding a potential failure.

For Equipment D, repeated vibration alarms revealed a deeper issue. With no physical obstruction present during the second spike, the team replaced the asset entirely, preventing what could have been a catastrophic breakdown.

One of the monitored assets, a high-mounted included screw conveyor positioned above chemical tanks, highlight the compounded risks of manual inspection at height, low asset redundancy, and failure modes such as plastic-induced blockages.

FitMachine monitoring enabled the site to avoid:

Motor or gearbox damage from material blockages
Safety incidents tied to manual intervention
Prolonged unplanned stoppages and batching delays

Together, these insights demonstrated the value of not just catching faults early, but transforming the approach to proactive maintenance. Estimated ROI per Asset (3 Months):

Cost Category	Estimated Cost (AUD)
Failure Prevention (motor/gearbox)	$8,000 – $15,000
Avoided Downtime (low utilisation)	$2,000 – $4,000
Saved Inspection Time (12 weeks)	$1,200 – $2,400

Total Estimated Value: $11,200 – $21,400
FitMachine Cost (3 months): ~$300
ROI: ~3,700–7,000%

Proactive Monitoring in Chile Prevents Downtime and Recovers Production Rates

Industry

Asset

Technology

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