Belfast-based industrial supplies company Rotary Bearings Industrial Ltd has launched a new range of sensor-based parts to help its manufacturing customers improve their operational efficiency.
Founded in Northern Ireland in the mid-1980s as a bearings specialist, Rotary Bearings now serves the whole of the UK and Ireland with a wide product range including belts, pulleys, adhesives and PPE, partnering with the world’s leading suppliers.
The new solution comprises ‘smart parts’ – where components such as bearings, motors, pumps and gearboxes are fitted with sensor technology – and a web-based customer-facing dashboard which displays data using custom-built software. Manufacturers can see real-time insights into the performance of their assets, then take preventative action before breakdowns occur which reduces downtime and operational risk.
The overarching software solution was developed for Rotary Bearings by cloud engineering company
Storm Reply, digitally linking all the hardware and sensors and allowing customers to view insights in one simple dashboard. Rotary Bearings owns the solution built by Storm Reply without any ongoing subscription or license fees.
Michael Cunningham, general manager at Rotary Bearings, said: “We were originally an industrial supplies company, then we discovered sensors and wanted to explore how customers could monitor their assets and get information back and take action before they have a breakdown.
“The trouble many manufacturers have is they have to go back to the provider who sold them the equipment, who then charges them again for analysis on their own data. With our new solution, they can see the data themselves for any job role or function.”
Rotary Bearings’ new auto-lubrication offering uses the condition-based lubrication SmartLube, which adjusts to parameters such as equipment speed, load, and temperature. More than 60% of bearing failures are caused by over-lubrication, so condition-based systems significantly extend the life of bearings.
Its condition monitoring solution uses El-Watch neuron sensors to conduct real-time monitoring of key bearing and machine parameters including temperature, flow rate, pressure, vibration, and operating hours. The smart parts help prevent faults, minimise downtime, and reduce maintenance costs.
Commenting on the new digital offering, Storm Reply partner Rachel Grunwerg explained: “Our small team of engineers built the solution very quickly, in a matter of weeks, working very closely with Rotary Bearings. We did a proof of concept, then a production solution, which they’re now using with their clients.
“It’s easy to use and maintain, and provides significant benefits. We’ve built a solution that provides so much more than the physical part itself: you can see a dashboard with insights of that part, how it’s working, its usage, the energy consumption, and performance.”
Storm Reply employs 30 tech and manufacturing experts at its R&D lab in London, and is part of the Reply Group. Unlike many digital solutions providers which rely on particular hardware or off-the-shelf software, Storm Reply’s solutions are always bespoke and cloud native, built using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Sam Manley, enterprise account manager at AWS Northern Ireland & Ireland, added: “The solution we helped deliver will ultimately open up more customers for Rotary Bearings, allowing them to earn more trust from their customers.”
