Donaldson Brings IIoT Service to Dust Control Equipment

Filtration systems manufacturer Donaldson Company Inc. announced the introduction of the iCue connected filtration service on Wednesday. Enabled by the industrial Internet of Things (IoT), the subscription service monitors industrial dust and fume collectorsand sends real-time data and maintenance alerts directly to facility management teams. The information is designed to prompt timely maintenance that can help improve production uptime and reduce operating costs.

Far surpassing traditional non-connected gauges, Donaldson’s iCue service gives factory personnel access to detailed equipment performance data via an online dashboard, and sends simple, actionable notices and email reports to their laptops or mobile devices. Maintenance teams can tailor the information parameters to their specific applications and dust management needs. The iCue service is compatible with major dust and fume collector brands, and a subscription includes hardware, automated reports, real-time maintenance alerts and an online interface for more detailed analysis.

“Facility managers tell us that actively monitoring their dust and fume collectors’ performance is a challenge, in terms of both time and technical knowledge,” said Wade Wessels, director of connected solutions strategy for Donaldson. “Our new iCue serviceaddresses this challenge by presenting real-time, actionable data through an online dashboard, alerts, and report features.” 

In an independent survey conducted by Plant Engineering and sponsored by Donaldson, 38% of plant engineers said a dust collector disruption would shut down their operation, at an average estimated cost of $3371 per hour. Despite the high cost of unexpected downtime, nearly half of the survey respondents said their equipment had not been thoroughly evaluated within the past three years, or the date of the most recent evaluation was unknown.

Donaldson publicly introduced the technology behind its iCue service in late 2018 and, between pilot and early adopter customers, facilities across a wide range of industries have already benefited from the service. Initial users have reported results in three main categories:

- Reduced downtime for dust collection equipment and associated production lines,
- Lower maintenance costs for labor and parts, including longer filter replacement intervals, and
- Better management of dust collector tasks and compliance reporting data.

In one recent case, performance alerts from Donaldson’s iCue service reduced the time required to resolve an obstruction within a collector’s hopper from two hours to just 15 minutes, through earlier detection and alerts. At another facility, filter life was extended from six weeks to approximately one year because the cause of premature filter wear was accurately diagnosed and addressed, using remote access to the collector’s data.

“The iCue connected filtration service connects our customers’ facilities with Donaldson, allowing the development of a new, ongoing relationship that goes beyond the initial sale of a collector,” said Rick DeJong, senior director of product technologies for the Donaldson Torit^®line of filtration equipment. “In the near future, this connection will allow us to offer additional kinds of product support, which will bring significant value as industries are increasingly struggling with gaps in maintenance labor and experience.”

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