Metrology for maintenance quality and performance

The performance of manufacturers depends above all on the precision and reliability of assets: components, on which metrology plays a strategic role. Too often seen as mere technical support, metrology nevertheless deserves special attention. Industrial measurements determine product quality, regulatory compliance and the effectiveness of maintenance operations. Once integrated into the company’s CMMS software, metrology secures processes and makes decisions more reliable.

 

Metrology: instrument reliability for more reliable decision-making

Metrology refers to the set of methods, tools and standards related to measurement. More concretely, in industry, this discipline covers the management of measuring instruments used throughout the production, inspection or maintenance cycle. Assets such as temperature sensors, pressure gauges, multimeters or dial indicators are all valuable metrology tools.

You will therefore easily understand that the reliability of these instruments determines the reliability of decisions based on their data. Ensuring measurement quality at source prevents production defects, non-conformities or accidents. Metrology is thus an essential link in the industrial chain, constantly evolving to support companies.

 

Why does management of measuring instruments play a major role in industry?

In the era of Industry 5.0, metrology guarantees product quality but, above all, compliance with an increasing number of standards. The industrial sector, heavily regulated, does not tolerate imprecision.

Furthermore, the discipline is constantly evolving to cope with the vast volumes of generated data. Rather than undermining the quality of analyses, this data must be impeccably reliable. Only then can manufacturers properly control their processes.

Risks if deviations go undetected

Undetected measurement issues have serious consequences, potentially including:

• Undetected manufacturing defects identified too late, increasing scrap rates or delivery non-conformities.
• Excessive raw material consumption when dosages or tolerances are poorly measured.
• Asset degradation if operating parameters are not correctly controlled.
• Regulatory non-conformities, particularly in sensitive sectors such as food, medical, aerospace or automotive.
• Significant financial losses related to poor quality, batch recalls or loss of production control.

Good metrology management will instead mean:

• Cost control : metrology costs, and, by direct impact, production costs
• Risk management
• Environmental compliance

If metrology once focused solely on planning and calibration management, manufacturers must now adopt intelligent management of the measuring instrument fleet to perform. Metrology now covers the entire measurement process and takes into account the human and environmental factors involved in taking measurements. Concretely, it will enable you to:

• Know the exact condition of the instrument fleet (location, availability, calibration status, recalibration dates),
• Schedule verification and recalibration tasks according to production constraints,
• Record all interventions and guarantee the history of each device to meet quality requirements (ISO 9001, IATF, etc.),
• React quickly in case of detected deviation or a questionable measurement.

 

CMMS + Metrology: a strategic integration

It is in this context that the convergence between metrology and CMMS comes into play. A seamless integration between the two solutions makes it possible to unify the management of production assets and measuring instruments in a logic of overall reliability.

The DimoMaint tool integrates easily with metrology modules or platforms such as Deltamu. This integration offers many advantages such as:

• Monitoring measuring instruments in the same environment as industrial assets.
• Reactive and customised management of calibration campaigns
• Automatic alerts for recalibration deadlines or detected non-conformities.
• Complete traceability of checks, calibrations and interventions performed on instruments, according to applicable standards or criteria specific to each manufacturer
• Collaboration between maintenance and metrology teams

As a result, operators save real time and gain greater freedom to optimise processes. Calibrating at the right time and at each stage of the production cycle limits actions to what is strictly necessary, eliminating the over-quality many manufacturers can no longer afford.

Towards more reliable, smarter maintenance

The integration of metrology into CMMS illustrates a paradigm shift now well understood by manufacturers: maintenance is enriched, becoming the guarantor of measurement quality and thus of decision quality. Thanks to the Metrology/CMMS duo, manufacturers can align their maintenance strategy with their quality requirements.