Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), a leading worldwide manufacturer of filtration systems, today introduced iCue connected filtration service. Enabled by the industrial Internet of Things (IoT), the subscription service monitors industrial dust collectors. It then sends real-time data and maintenance alerts directly to facility management teams. Donaldson Company designed the information 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. Additionally, 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. Wessels is the director of connected solutions strategy for Donaldson. “Our new iCue service addresses this challenge by presenting real-time, actionable data through an online dashboard, alerts, and report features.”
Survey results
In an independent survey conducted by Plant Engineering and sponsored by Donaldson, 38 percent of plant engineers said a dust collector disruption would shut down their operation, at an average estimated cost of $3,371 per hour. Despite the high cost of unexpected downtime, nearly half of the survey respondents said they had not had their equipment thoroughly evaluated within the past three years. If that was not the answer, they indicated that the date of the most recent evaluation was unknown.
Donaldson publicly introduced the technology behind its iCue service in late 2018. Between both 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 both 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.”
Additional information about Donaldson’s connected service for both dust and fume collectors can be found at Donaldson.com/connectedsolutions. Questions can be addressed either via email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-833-898-5996.
About Donaldson Company
The Donaldson company began in 1915. It is a global leader in the filtration industry with sales, manufacturing and distribution locations around the world. Donaldson designs its innovative filtration technologies to solve complex filtration challenges and enhance customers’ equipment performance.
