SEEING MORE, RISKING LESS: THE CASE FOR AUTOMATED INSPECTIONS
ELECTRICAL FIELD SERVICE IS ENTERING A NEW CHAPTER BASED ON THE LATEST RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AUTOMATED INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES. THE AIM IS TO HELP ENGINEERS WORK MORE SAFELY IN COMPLEX AND DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS, WITH ACCESS TO RICHER INSIGHTS THAT HELP THEM TO MAKE FASTER DECISIONS. STUART THOMPSON, PRESIDENT OF ELECTRIFICATION SERVICE AT ABB, EXPLAINS.
Electrical infrastructure has become a business-critical asset for modern industry.
As operations become more dependent on reliable power, expectations of electrical service are changing too. Technology is helping make service work safer and more effective, but it is also creating opportunities to rethink how inspections are carried out in the first place.
Automated inspection is one area attracting significant attention. Thanks to advances in robotics, sensors and software, it is now showing the potential to transform how our field service teams assess risk, gather information and prepare for work on-site.
Site inspection has barely changed for decades. When an issue is reported, the service team visits the site to assess the problem and decide on the best course of action. The work is highly skilled, and it is often carried out in challenging conditions. However, with today’ s technology, it is worth challenging a longheld assumption: do field service engineers always need to be the first to enter a potentially hazardous environment?
22 MACHINERY, AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING