>£12M saving in downtime costs

Purple Sector Digital Observed Insights Technology.

Background

High-value production lines depended on complex, high-speed pick-and-place systems. Within those systems, pneumatic failures could stop production without warning. Maintenance was largely reactive, and a single incident could lead to as much as 36 hours of downtime.

Challenge

The pneumatic network contained hundreds of potential failure points, and the fault could not be isolated while the line was running.

Hundreds of potential failure points across the pneumatic network
When the system stopped, engineers had to inspect components manually
Finding one failed element often meant removing or dismantling the wider assembly
Because diagnosis could not happen while the line operated, it added to the disruption rather than shortening it

Solution

PurpleSector introduced continuous monitoring using acoustic and laser sensing, giving real-time visibility into system behaviour.

These technologies captured evidence that conventional checks could not. Advanced analytics interpreted the signals, highlighted emerging issues before they escalated, and enabled engineers to locate a failed component without stopping the line or stripping down the whole system.

Engineers testing a sustainable marine powertrain system designed for reduced emissions and faster delivery.

A sustainable marine powertrain system designed for reduced emissions and faster delivery.

Results

Maintenance moved from unplanned intervention to a predictable, planned approach, saving the client more than £12 million a year.

System rectification time fell from 36 hours to 3, and full system removal was avoided in most cases. The reduction in disruption delivered immediate and sustained improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness.