With Connected Maintenance, Johnson Controls brings a practical Internet of Things (IoT) solution to its clients — providing the kind of connectivity to high-end chillers in South Africa that will extend their lifespans … and save owners a whole lot of maintenance downtime and costs.
Need a bigger incentive to test this solution? Getting connected won’t cost you a thing.
Says Neil Cameron, area GM: building sfficiency, Africa at Johnson Control: “Digital technologies are seeing scheduled and break-fix maintenance models replaced with condition-based maintenance and that matches Johnson Controls’ philosophy to increase the uptime and lifespan of its chillers.
“Our Connected Maintenance offering targets sophisticated high-end chillers – air and water cooled chillers above 800kW – providing the technology to connect them to Johnson Controls’ database. By monitoring their performance in real-time, we know when they are functioning beyond or below standard specifications. The database will then report the anomaly to the client, providing insight into potential problems.”
Having the right fault information to hand is critical. “It means a maintenance team can be dispatched to the site with the right parts, tools and expertise to address the problem immediately,” says Cameron. “This can save a lot of critical downtime. In addition, a small repair in time can save the very high costs of a major failure.
“Quite often, minor problems escalate quickly to a crisis. For example, a simple oil leak that is not identified and repaired in time may lead to replacement of a compressor. In older machines, the cost of that replacement is high enough to merit purchasing a new machine.”
What does it take to get connected? Johnson Controls’ high-end chillers already have the microprocessors needed to relay performance data built in. Johnson Controls provides a router and opens a gateway into the cloud to connect with the Johnson Controls’ database. All data traffic is free.
Reporting and alerting is automated, providing ongoing updates on performance and potential challenges. The client can view data remotely on any device and can connect to the Johnson Controls database for troubleshooting and to view performance history.
“In effect, Connected Maintenance makes it easier, faster and cheaper to maintain our clients’ chillers,” says Cameron. “It extends the lifespan of the chillers and increases their reliability. Our clients are able to optimise their investment and we get to provide them with excellent service. It’s a win for everyone.
“We are making it easy for our clients by making connecting their chiller to the cloud cost free. In fact, we are matching that with another incentive: clients that adopt this solution can expect a discount on their service contract with Johnson Controls.”
This solution demonstrates the value that IoT can bring in a very practical way. It’s a simple, effortless solution using proven technology that can save costs and deliver significant benefits. Get connected – it’s a small thing that can make a big difference.
