The world’s largest beer maker is using low-cost sensors and machine learning to predict when motors at a Colorado brewery might malfunction, reports The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 24, 2019).  The Anheuser-Busch plant was the first among the company’s 350 beer facilities to test whether wireless sensors that can detect ultrasonic sounds—beyond the grasp of the human ear—can be analyzed to predict when machines need maintenance. “You can start hearing days in advance that something will go wrong, and you’ll know within hours when it’ll fail. It’s really, for us, very practical,” said the VP.

The installation at the brewery cost just $20,000. Since the system was deployed, it has predicted pending equipment failures and prevented unscheduled production-line halts, and more than $200,000 in product loss. (The Colorado plant employs 580 people and ships 225 truckloads of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beer brands each day). Continue reading →

In the weld shop of Toyota’s huge Ontario plant, workers inspect the steel frame of a RAV4. The men raise their arms overhead as they move ultrasonic wands over metal to test the integrity of dozens of welds. Until a few months ago, this task was performed by seated workers wielding hammers and chisels. But the latest RAV4 uses a lighter, stronger steel that requires ultrasonic testing. A new frame arrives every 60 seconds. The prolonged reaching is shoulder-breaking work, the kind that can lead to debilitating injuries and decreased productivity. Continue reading →