KCF Technologies is in the business of giving companies the nudge they need to step into greatness through Industry 4.0 technology. As an engineering technologies company on a mission to optimize American manufacturing, they’ve helped hundreds of companies eliminate unplanned downtime, optimize machine reliability and increase production. KCF works with American manufacturers across the country on the cusp of greatness, who are both eager and hesitant to make the jump into IIoT technology, and gives them the confidence they need to make the leap. When they do, manufacturers can reap the benefits of eliminating 80% of downtime, increasing production by 25% and tripling bottom line profit.
A Real-World Testimony
One such example is ECore, a flooring manufacturer with a plant based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Scott Gieb, the plant’s maintenance manager, was tiring of the everyday maintenance issues that are commonplace in many manufacturing facilities. He could see the way they were eating into time and profitability, but wasn’t sure where to start with the promises of IIoT tech. Intimidated by the technology that made his flip phone look like a tin can phone system, he didn’t know if he could pull off the upgrade.
Could he implement and oversee a wireless system he didn’t know much about? Would his team get on board or would they revolt? Would his job as maintenance manager evolve or would it become obsolete?
Enter KCF Technologies.
Thanks to decades of experience working with manufacturing companies and managers just like Scott, KCF answered all his questions and more. They clearly communicated the path from where Scott and his team were, to where they needed to be. They offered data-driven assurances of payoff with proper implementation, something they promised to accomplish by walking alongside Scott and his team on the floor to ensure success. With a step-by-step process in place that meant a partnership rather than an equipment drop-off, ECore made the leap with KCF as their guide, into the world of Industry 4.0.
How KCF Technology Saved ECore $20M
After teaming up with KCF, ECore had a handful of wireless vibration and temperature sensors installed on one of their most valuable machines – a 1952 German cutting machine. With only 12 such machines remaining in the world, maintenance and parts are both time-consuming and costly. Scott and his team were performing occasional check-ups using visual or “stethoscope” inspections, and using time-based maintenance. These are routines that, while common, leave companies vulnerable to unexpected issues.
Little did Scott know, the payoff of ECore’s investment was just around the corner. Soon after installation, the sensors picked up unhealthy signals from the gearbox, a critical component lubricated by a hard-to-reach pump system. The KCF sensors alerted Scott’s team, and through KCF’s guidance, they inspected the gearbox, where they discovered a small leak in the lubrication system.
A small leak. No big deal, right?
Wrong. That leak would have ended up destroying the entire gear box! And fixing a critical piece of 1952 German equipment is neither fast nor easy. It is, however, costly. Here’s what Scott and his team at ECore would have been facing without the KCF sensors:
- Special order, emergency rush parts from Germany;
- a crane to remove the old gearbox and replace it with a new one;
- removal of the roof to fit the crane (yes, actually removing the roof from the building);
- and 26 weeks of downtime!
Do you know what they did instead? They fixed the leak in the lubrication pump of the gearbox.
…That’s it! And it saved them $20M.
To Sum Up
Companies are winning every day because of KCF Technology and Industry 4.0 companies just like them based right here in Happy Valley.
KCF knows the power IIoT tech has to transform a good company, into a great one. And because KCF (literally) walks with plant managers through manufacturing plants across the country, they are all too familiar with the legitimate questions and concerns that arise when it comes to companies promising big payoffs. It’s a big reason that getting their hands dirty is part of the process. Plant managers need more than promises. They need promises backed by decades of experience on the ground with end-users who are saving their companies millions through IIoT tech. (Because if workers can’t operate the system, no one is winning – least of all American manufacturers.) Thankfully, that’s exactly what KCF provides.
