About Yelo
Yelo manufactures high grade hexate-free animal feed and refined oil for cooking applications, using rapeseed grown exclusively by UK farmers.
Its Warwickshire facility is powered by renewable energy and employs zero-waste production methods.
The challenge
Yelo’s manufacturing plant was custom-built to enable it to produce the highest quality vegetable oil and animal feed using only mechanical processes.
Asset availability and reliability is critical to the business and the management team understood that adopting a ‘run-to-failure’ reactive maintenance approach would be both costly and inefficient. It wanted to embed a proactive condition based maintenance (CBM) programme into its operations from the outset.
Yelo turned to plant reliability specialist AVT Reliability® to develop and implement a CBM programme for the site. The strong focus was on optimising production quality and output. Yelo also wanted to be able to identify potential problems so pre-emptive action could be taken to avert equipment failure.
The solution
AVT Reliability® has extensive experience in the field and is at the forefront of developing innovative digital approaches to condition monitoring.
It created a CBM programme based on its Machine Sentry® digital condition monitoring and asset management tool. The site build was completed within a week with all the condition monitoring techniques required to detect most common failure modes.
A wireless tri-axial vibration and temperature sensor was fixed to every asset on the Yelo plant deemed critical enough to require more consistent monitoring. The sensor takes readings at regular, frequent intervals and records the data on the Machine Sentry® software, which can be accessed at any time from any location via a standard web browser. The sensor can also be programmed to capture data from batched assets such as transfer pumps, which only switch on at specific times during the process.
Machine Sentry® provides continuous real time insight into, and analysis of, the condition of Yelo’s business-critical assets. Potential problems will be swiftly identified and action points raised so pre-emptive action can be taken.
Yelo also opted to contract AVT Reliability® to work alongside its in-house maintenance staff to manage the ongoing CBM programme.
Yelo have full access to all data collected, covering vibration, visual inspection, ultrasound, thermal imaging and oil analysis data, all on one platform at a click of a button. The key performance indicator (KPI) displays enable the users to monitor the overall status of the condition monitoring programme.
AVT Reliability® can assist with any reading taken on site, remotely when required. They compile a monthly action report based on the data collected and analysed, which includes a list of high priority activity required to maintain the reliability and availability of the plant.
The outcome
During the implementation phase alone, the actions raised by Machine Sentry® helped Yelo avoid more than £25,000 in wasted costs.
From the outset the Yelo plant has been operating to optimum output and maximum production quality. The early detection of developing failure modes enables maintenance staff to be more proactive and downtime for maintenance work can be precisely scheduled to minimise disruption to operations.
Nick Marshall, of Yelo, said: “Today’s production requirements and demand on assets is high and planned maintenance is no longer fit for purpose.
“Even if we could have the resources required to deliver a traditional preventive maintenance programme, we would not have the available time to deliver it. Working with AVT Reliability® allows us to monitor assets throughout the facility and schedule maintenance when needed.
“The production facility objective is high but this programme means it is possible to achieve.”
AVT Reliability® will continue to build on the programme to ensure maximum return on investment, whilst also transferring its knowledge to Yelo staff, allowing a sustainable long term CBM programme to be embedded in operations.
Frederic Thomas, of AVT Reliability®, said: “When most people think of a CBM programme they tend to have older assets in mind. But Yelo is a great example of how embedding a proactive CBM programme on brand new assets from the outset can result in immediate cost avoidance.”