Maintenance has come a long way from the days when we waited for things to break, and thanks to the ever-increasing capabilities of technology, predictive maintenance has become a viable solution for keeping equipment running smoothly and efficiently around the world. This is according to Suleyman Aydemir, Services VP for Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric, who notes that 70 to 80 years ago, the concept of maintenance was all about reacting to problems as they arose, and fixing what was broken, often at the cost of lost time and productivity.
“This was known as corrective maintenance, which focused on addressing malfunctions. In those years, it was mainly about repairing equipment. Then the concept of preventive maintenance emerged, where the focus was on mechanical maintenance to prevent potential failures,” says Aydemir. “In the 1980s and early 1990s, as the electronic industry grew, preventive maintenance evolved to include predictive maintenance. This involved using electronic devices to measure and compare equipment performance, rather than just checking it annually.”
Digital and condition-based maintenance
He explains that over the last four to five years, industries have been providing predictive maintenance solutions to end users. Now the revolution in the industry is moving towards digital and condition-based maintenance. “Instead of going to the asset and manually measuring its status, we use continuous monitoring with digital sensors. The advantage of continuous monitoring is that it captures not just the equipment data, but also the environmental factors affecting it,” he says. “We measure data from the asset, including temperature and load characteristics. This data is analysed through algorithms to detect if a problem is approaching or has already occurred.”
Suleyman Aydemir.
He adds that when Schneider Electric trains its service engineers, whether they are based locally or in its connected service hubs that monitor data globally, the company’s priority is not just to address the current issues, but also to estimate whether a problem will occur soon – within the next three to six months. “Traditionally, customers would call us when they had a problem. But with the technology of online monitoring, we can now proactively reach out to customers and inform them that we have detected a potential issue before it becomes a problem. This is an innovative approach that helps increase the lifetime of the assets and minimise the cost of ownership,” he says.
Another example that Aydemir highlights is the use of digital twins. Instead of relying on traditional single-line diagrams or paper-based schematics, an entire electrical system can now be embedded into software. “With the digital twin, you can virtually model changes to your system, such as adding motors or transformers, or increasing loads. The software can then automatically calculate how the system will behave, and whether any additional functions or modifications are required,” he says. “Additionally, the digital twin provides detailed information about the specific components in your system. This eliminates the need to manually check component details, and helps you better design and plan for the growth and evolution of your electrical infrastructure.”
The journey from reactive to condition-based maintenance marks a significant shift in how organisations manage their assets. It is a testament to the advancements in technology and the growing recognition of the value of proactive management.
Sustainable energy management Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Utilising its innovative ONE approach technology, Siemens provides complete transparency on resource consumption and offers data-driven optimisation recommendations for sustainable energy management.
Read more...Paving the way for a carbon-neutral future in South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
At ABB Electrification, we believe the infrastructure of the future must do more than support daily operations, it must anticipate them. We are committed to building intelligent systems that connect and optimise infrastructure across sectors.
Read more...Protecting buildings’ embodied carbon with retrofitted systems Schneider Electric South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
The World Economic Forum has said that around 80% of the buildings in existence will still be around in 2050; it is therefore essential that in order to combat climate change we retrofit them for energy efficiency.
Read more...Three decarbonisation myths and how organisations can debunk them Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
A UN Climate Change Report revealed that the world is on track to miss its 2050 net zero targets, with temperatures expected to increase by over 2,4°C by 2100. To help shift positive intent to concrete action, Schneider Electric outlined three of the most common myths surrounding decarbonisation and how organisations can get started on their decarbonisation journey.
Read more...Africa’s hidden AI advantage
IT in Manufacturing
Through my work implementing AI systems across three continents, I’ve become convinced that Africa’s unique context demands urgent AI adoption. Successful implementation requires local expertise to understand resource constraints as design parameters to create the innovations that make technology truly work under real-world conditions.
Read more...Siemens Xcelerator empowers space-tech pioneer, Skyroot Aerospace Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced that Skyroot Aerospace, a leading private space launch service company in India, has adopted Polarion software from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio to digitally transform its software development processes and enhance efficiency as it aims to accelerate access to space for its customers worldwide.
Read more...Water is running out, is your ESG strategy ready?
IT in Manufacturing
Water is one of the most critical yet undervalued resources in modern business. Water stewardship asks businesses to understand their water footprint across the entire value chain and to engage with others who share the same water resources.
Read more...Cybersecurity in 2025: Six trends to watch
IT in Manufacturing
Rockwell Automation’s?10th?State?of?Smart?Manufacturing report finds that cybersecurity risks are a major, ever-present obstacle, and are now the third-largest impediment to growth in the next 12?months.
Read more...The state of the smart buildings market in 2025
IT in Manufacturing
Smart buildings are entering a transformative phase, driven by sustainability goals, technological innovation and evolving user expectations. According to ABI Research’s latest whitepaper, the sector is undergoing a strategic overhaul across key areas like retrofitting, energy efficiency, data-driven operations and smart campus development.
Read more...Digital twin for Bavaria’s National Theatre Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens and the Bavarian State Opera are digitalising the acoustics in Bavaria’s National Theatre in Munich, Germany. The result is a digital twin that simulates sound effects, orchestral setups and venue configurations in a realistic 3D acoustic model so that musicians, the director and conductors can assess a concert hall’s acoustics even before the first rehearsal.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version