The IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), Industry 4.0 – and now 5.0 – are all developments which have become increasingly familiar. Now there is a new one emerging – digital twins – and which has the potential to transform packaging manufacturing.   Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical systems, such as production lines. They

Many companies still use PacDrive M for their packaging lines meaning maintaining and potentially upgrading PacDrive M systems is increasingly important. Whilst proven this legacy system now faces pressure from sourcing replacement parts and components as well increasing productivity demands. Thankfully though, there is some good news. With strategic maintenance, selective upgrades and expert support,

What are the three most popular web searches relating to PacDrive M? These are Troubleshooting, Spare Parts and Long-Term Maintenance Strategies. Given where we are with PacDrive M obsolescence they are probably to be expected. Let’s look at these individually. Troubleshooting is understandable. Quickly identifying the cause of downtime or breakdown is essential given the

What are the risks of delaying maintenance in manufacturing industry? Before considering these, let’s look at some data published in last year’s RS Components Maintenance Engineering Report*. The average cost of unplanned downtime was nearly £5.5K per hour last year – a near 7% increase over 2023 – with companies experiencing up to 15 hours

MAx-4 controllers were among the earliest ELAU PacDrive M controllers, but were withdrawn from sale in 2010. Now, sourcing these controllers—as well as the necessary parts for repairs—is becoming increasingly difficult. While many MAx-4 units remain vital to production lines the risk of failure and prolonged downtime is growing. A proactive assessment of these risks

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into food and beverage manufacturing and packaging can offer transformative advantages. It can enable companies to increase efficiency, improve quality control as well as contribute to optimising operations overall. Here we will look at how it can support more effective maintenance strategies as well as on-line quality control. Predictive

Productivity is a key term in manufacturing and can be considered a measure of the output of individuals or teams. It is important because it reflects how a business is performing: the greater the output (goods and services) with less input (materials, labour and capital) the higher the productivity over a defined period of time.

The RS Components ‘Performance in Focus’ 2024 Maintenance Engineering Report, created in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), provides a detailed analysis of the current state of maintenance engineering with a particular focus on process manufacturing. This report draws on insights from nearly 400 maintenance professionals across the UK and Ireland, highlighting the

Do you know what like-for-like PacDrive spares you have on site? The importance of keeping like-for-like PacDrive spares on site is crucial for maintaining the efficiency of production lines. PacDrive systems are integral to many production lines and any disruption can lead to significant downtime. This in turn can have substantial financial implications. Downtime Costs:

There are various metrics used in manufacturing industry to aid maintenance planning. Amongst these are Mean Time To Failure (MTTF), Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF). Each of these describes a different aspect of an assets performance and each can provide important information regarding this. These can take on additional