Engineers have a quaint term for “business intelligence” on how often mechanical devices and other tools break down (Jargon Alert). They call it “Mean Time Between Failures” — or MBTF — and it is intended to take knowledge from an entire population or system to identify the lifespan of a particular item.
Sensors and analytics are changing the mechanical world, removing guesswork and predictions in favor of “actionable information.” You can spot at-risk machinery or overheating components BEFORE they explode and catch fire — the way most electric transformers announce their failure.
At the Always On “Going Green” conference March 9, Jeff Tolnar , CTO of BPLGlobal said the average lifespan of an electric utility’s transformer is 40 years, yet the average age of the U.S. transformer is 42 years. One large east Coast utility company budgets $1 billion-per-year to replace equipment, but doesn’t always know which should be updated first. He expects sensors and analytics will point engineers to the locations most in danger or the gear most in need of replacement.
The same kind of interaction is coming to your car as it talks directly to your mechanic instead of a flashing red light on your dashboard. Better to know a day BEFORE something goes wrong, than learning a day too late.
David Wallace
Spotfire Blogging Team
Image Credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art
