Learn how one of India’s top cement suppliers improved equipment reliability by implementing Fluke’s VibGuard system, which works seamlessly with existing technology to provide continuous, real-time insights and independent data validation.
Background
Our customer, one of India’s leading building materials companies, is known for serving the construction and infrastructure industries with over 10 brands and 50 products across three key sectors: cement, ready-mix concrete, and modern building materials.
In a highly competitive market, the company upholds its position by adhering to strict internal quality parameters across all its plants, closely monitoring every step of the manufacturing process. This dedication to quality also involves a close watch on the health of critical machinery, such as vertical roller mill gearboxes – responsible for raw material processing and cement grinding – where even small inefficiencies can add up to big losses.
As a result, the company isn’t just focused on avoiding downtime —it’s keenly aware that maintaining a fine balance in operations can make all the difference between staying in the game and leading it.
Challenge
The company operates three sites across India, with five vertical roller mill (VRM) gearboxes located at three different locations: Rajasthan (3 gearboxes) and West Bengal (2 gearboxes). These gearboxes were initially monitored using a top gearbox manufacturer’s sensor technology and diagnostic reports.
However, their team wanted to further strengthen their monitoring approach to improve the reliability and performance of their VRM gearboxes. While the existing gearbox manufacturer’s system provided a good starting point, it relied on once-a-month checks and limited access to in-depth data, which meant there was room for a more comprehensive solution.
Our customer sought a third-party monitoring solution that could offer independent validation of gearbox data and analyses, ensuring an unbiased perspective on equipment health. They also wanted a system capable of continuous monitoring, providing real-time data rather than relying on intermittent checks. This would enable the early detection of any potential issues and give engineers and mechanics a comfortable window of time in which to plan a convenient and effective repair strategy.
Additionally, the company wanted greater access to the underlying data behind the reports to make more informed decisions about maintenance for their VRM gearboxes in order to maintain optimal performance.
To address all these needs, they turned to Fluke’s VibGuard system equipped with CLD (Continuous Long Duration) sensors, an advanced technology designed for continuous monitoring and precise diagnosis of gearbox performance.
Implementation
The challenge was to transition from the existing monitoring system to a more comprehensive, centralized solution without disrupting operations, so to start with, the VibGuard system was fully installed in October 2023. Designed to work continuously and autonomously, VibGuard is a permanently installed system that records up to 20 measurement channels simultaneously (16 analog channels dedicated to CLD signals and four additional channels configurable for current or voltage signals), providing a new level of online condition monitoring.
As our customer wanted to avoid a major shutdown that would be required in order to replace all the existing sensors inside the gearboxes, they inquired if Fluke’s VibGuard could accept the output from the existing gearbox manufacturer’s ICP sensors. Our channel partner Aimil, working alongside the Fluke team, confirmed that this was possible, as VibGuard is compatible with a wide variety of sensors and transmitters. This meant that our customer could continue using their ICP sensors while gradually integrating Fluke’s CLD sensors.
VibGuard is also available either with CLD input or ICP input, so to make the integration seamless, the Fluke team incorporated ICP sensors in the U/I channels and provided ICP to U convertor modules which accommodated the existing sensors along with Fluke CLD sensors. This proactive approach made it easy for the company to maintain operations without any interruptions.
Data from VibGuard flows directly to a centralized server in Mumbai through a secure virtual private network (VPN) enabling real-time monitoring. Through this setup, Fluke engineers in Singapore can remotely access gearbox performance data, giving our customer continuous visibility into equipment health.
The Fluke team’s expertise, together with Aimil’s support, made the transition to the new monitoring system not only possible but an efficient and hassle-free experience.
Results
Following the installation, the first performance report confirmed VibGuard’s effectiveness in providing real-time insights into gearbox performance. The new monitoring setup provided continuous remote access to critical data, giving our customer a clearer view of equipment health across all sites.
With this improved capability, the company is now considering expanding the use of VibGuard technology to monitor additional VRM gearboxes at other locations. This step forward could redefine what reliability looks like in the building materials industry.
