Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1222953
learning (interpretation), ecosystem integration (outcome), and machine control (outcome). e true potential of oil analysis has yet to be realized, and unlocking this potential is where I see industry going. Adding more measurements, ingesting more data and then processing that data into meaningful, yet simple outcomes will be the first improve- ments, but it won't be the end. No matter how good it is, data operating in isolation can be cumbersome. Integrating data and outcomes into an operator's ecosystem and infrastructure is where the real value starts to materialize. Automating outcomes based on digital oil data is the ultimate goal, and it isn't that far out of reach. MOVING FORWARD INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD Certa in industries have been ea rly adopters of Industry 4.0 and the digital revolution, such as the media, information technology and finance, while others are catching up fast, including oil and gas and advanced manufacturing. The lubricant monitoring industry has lagged far behind and arguably has yet to jump onto the digital train. is is surprising, as the potential for digital monitoring of lubricating oil is signif- icant. e industry is suffering from a lack of an incoming talent pool, with an aging workforce and specialized skill-set drain. e adoption of digital tools and automated monitoring not only could help fill the gap in the talent pool but may also create new opportunities. Perhaps in the not too distant future, data scientists will be as much in demand as chemical engineers. e rise of the digital era in lubricant monitoring doesn't rely solely on converting analog data to digital, replicating existing manual practices into digital visualizations of the same practices. At the core of this revolution lie bigger and more philosophical questions, such as "What do I need to know?" and "What do I do with the information?" Is there more value in "good enough" data, which shows "what I need to know" and is measured and communicated in real time, than exact accuracies taken at a single snap- shot in time? I believe there is. Data that not only offers analysis and basic interpretation but also includes context and simple outcomes and actions must be the way forward, especially as millennials enter the workforce. Digital monitoring tools that can be incorporated into an operator's ecosystem, can be accessed and acted upon by any skill level in the operation, and provide real-time answers to the three basic questions of "Is everything OK?," "What's wrong?" and "What should I do?" will be key to taking the lubricant monitoring industry forward into the digital world. ML ML www . machinerylubrication.com | March - April 2020 | 13