With its first annual Spotlight Awards Ceremony, Augury recognizes manufacturing facility teams’ dedication and hard work, going the extra mile with Machine Health. After all, while tech can work to impact people, plants, and the planet, it needs people to make it happen. Thank you to our 30+ site winners, including runner-up Frito-Lay Coventry and our grand winner Fortune Brands New London!

Celebrating Success

The inaugural Spotlight Awards ceremony took place on November 20, 2024. For the first edition, Augury highlighted maintenance and reliability teams with incredible initiative, awarding them the “Beam of Excellence” designation. 

Evaluating hundreds of plants, we identified the top 5% of customer sites based on their performance in the following criteria: high response rates, IoT serviceability, number of active users, and quantified wins. In short, these plant teams raised the bar on Machine Health and predictive technology for their companies – and deserve recognition. 

Listed in alphabetical order, the 2024 Spotlight Awards “Beam of Excellence” winners: Amcor / BAZAN Group / Canfor (2 awards) / Colgate-Palmolive (3 Awards) / Dairy Farmers of America / GAF (2 Awards) / Fortune Brands Innovations / Indorama (3 Awards) / ICL Group / Keurig Dr. Pepper / Molson Coors / Nestlé Purina Petcare / PepsiCo (8 Awards) / Reyes Holdings / Roseburg / Toray Industries / Wis-Pak.

It’s About People, Not Just Technology

Hosted by Ed Ballina and Alvaro Cuba, industry veterans and hosts of the popular Manufacturing Meetup podcast, the virtual ceremony opened with special remarks from Augury’s co-founders: CEO Saar Yoskovitz and CPTO Gal Shaul.

“Seeing the work that you guys are doing, the amount of dedication, effort, and creativity that goes into making wood products, food, beverages, toilet paper – and the list goes on and on – has just been amazing and inspiring for us to start a company and see how can we fit in to help you,” says Gal. 

“Especially these days, when manufacturing faces so many headwinds, from geopolitical challenges to supply chain issues, the economy, talent shortage, which we all feel daily. And we believe that there is a way out. Right by leveraging technology and modern tools, we can fundamentally transform how manufacturing is being done,” adds Saar.  

“This impressive diversity tells a great story about how technology is transferable across sectors and geographies.”

“At the same time, we understand it’s insufficient to put the sensor in the right location. It’s not enough to provide an alert just in time. If there’s no one on the other side to take action to repair the machine, we won’t achieve anything. And that’s why you are such a crucial part of our story.” 

It’s In The Diversity – And The Numbers

The winning facilities and teams, covering a broad range of manufacturing verticals, hailed from three continents, eight countries, and 20 U.S. states. 

“This impressive diversity tells a great story about how technology is transferable across sectors and geographies,” says Ed.

But there’s another big story: in the numbers. As a group, these top performers achieved:

• 1.3K+ Machine Improvements 
• 4,300K+ Hours of Downtime Avoided 
• $11.8M+ Maintenance Costs Saved 

Incredible Stories Of Cultural Change

However, metrics only tell part of the story. Leading up to the event, each facility helped craft their transformation story – providing additional input about how they’ve transformed the way they work around Machine Health technology. 

All of these sites have incredible stories of culture change, digital integrations, new processes, and updated roles and responsibilities. And in the end, two stories stood out and were recognized at the ceremony.

Drumroll Please. The Runner-Up Is… Frito-Lay, Coventry

The runner-up was PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay in Coventry, UK, which was already featured in a BBC feature about how the facility advanced manufacturing through Machine Health. Coventry’s numbers are impressive: a response rate of 94% and avoiding 650K+ costs and 65+ downtime hours.

“The introduction of Augury was a bolt out of the blue. We’ve gone from prehistoric to Star Wars in a couple of weeks,” says Kevin Thomas, Condition Monitoring Specialist at the facility. “It allows me to see the bigger picture and have an accurate story of what is going on. We used to run our equipment to destruction or until the line came down. Now, we can collaborate with the engineering teams to balance production. It feels good not to run about and react to major changes every week.”

“Part of what makes this site’s story so exciting is how they’ve connected the dots not just between Machine Health and cost savings, but also with the tangible impacts of other critical areas like safety, equipment lifespan, and team efficiency.”

And First Place Goes To… Fortune Brands’ New London facility

Like many other winners, the first-place team was initially skeptical due to poor experiences with other systems. However, that did not hold back the Fortune Brands’ New London, North Carolina facility. They fully embraced Augury’s solution, achieving 2.5X ROI in 8 months and 94% Serviceability. The facility is now expanding its Machine Health coverage from 40 to 140 machines. 

Part of what makes this site’s story so exciting is how they’ve connected the dots not just between Machine Health and cost savings, but also with the tangible impacts of other critical areas like safety, equipment lifespan, and team efficiency. 

“I was a bit apprehensive,” says Ric Wojcik, Senior Manufacturing Engineering Manager. “In my past maintenance life, I was introduced to and tried similar systems that simply did not perform. I could tell that Augury was unique from the other companies and could be a game-changer for us, and I was willing to take the chance. I am so pleased that we did!”  

“We’ve seen the difference and look forward to what the future holds.”

Looking To The Future: Upward And Onward

“We are excited,” says Ric. “And it just goes to show that the hard work that went in by these guys – Jesse, Jonathan, Troy, Matt, and Todd – was instrumental in getting all this stuff going on here at the facility. We’ve seen the difference and look forward to what the future holds.” 

As Saar put it: “It’s not just solving today’s challenges, but also looking towards tomorrow’s challenges. When we work with you and your peers, we hear these stories of life before Augury: waking up at 2 am, firefighting, heavy, laborious work… Today, you can focus on what really provides more and more impact and what really matters. So, we ask ourselves, how do we take that to the next level? And the answer is by working even closer with you, by listening to your feedback, by having you guide us on our journey.”

Cheers to the winners on a great 2024! Tune in next year for more success!

Learn more about the Spotlight Awards – and Machine Health. 

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We’ve been talking with factory floor workers – from operators to vibration analysts – about their experiences as early adopters of Augury’s AI-driven Machine Health Solution. Invariably, they began as skeptics. So, what ended up winning them over? Answer: it made their working day easier and more fulfilling. Read all about it!

Matter of Factory…

Unsurprisingly, those on the factory floor exhibit skepticism whenever they are offered an “innovative new tool”. While fear of change might play into it, the real reason comes down to experience: they’ve learned that such a “game-changer” often makes their jobs harder, not easier. So, skepticism is only healthy and natural.

Take Ronald… He’s a seasoned vibration analyst at a leading manufacturer. He’s open about his first impression of Augury: “When I first heard that Augury’s vibration system would be implemented at our site, I was a little scared about losing my job. I was also skeptical about the quality of the vibration analytics.”

Skepticism can become a problem when workers resist using tools and capabilities that can improve their working lives. So, we sat down with Ronald and a few other of Augury’s early adopters to understand how they overcame their initial hesitations and what advice they have for their peers. 

Fear Of The Unexpected (Eliminating Unplanned Downtime)

Meet Cyril… He’s been a reliability technician and specialist in rotating machinery at a Pulp & Paper manufacturer for over 23 years. “Before Augury, we only conducted vibration measurements and analyses on our machines according to a predefined schedule based on equipment criticality. Unfortunately, sometimes unexpected issues could arise between two vibration measurements on our equipment.”

Unexpected issues are never fun. And by eliminating these unforeseen situations, Augury won over many plant workers. As Jacob, a maintenance planner from a leading wood product manufacturer, , described his pre-Augury world: “I would get many phone calls, in the middle of the night with these ‘Oh, crap!’ type of failures. And if we could predict these breakdowns or avoid those on the front end, it makes everybody’s life easier.”

Fix What Needs To Be Fixed When It Needs To Be Fixed

Markus, a process engineer and team leader, also appreciates knowing the timeline. “Augury complements the know-how of our technicians by enabling us to schedule repairs when they are truly needed. We hear them say, ‘Okay, this machine is running rough, but you can wait until the next planned downtime to fix it.’ This approach helps us to avoid unplanned downtime and extend the lifespan of our machines,” says Markus. “And now, when a problem arises, we also are not stuck in the present. Instead, we can use data collected over the past years to determine when the issue started. Working together with Augury, we can more easily identify possible root causes.”

“Augury has allowed us to have continuous monitoring and thus greatly reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns,” Cyril adds. “Following an Augury alert, we conduct an internal analysis and then exchange diagnostic information with Augury. Their expertise and experience aim to provide certainty before scheduling any corrective intervention. In three years, Augury has saved us numerous hours of downtime on our equipment.” 

Having Your Back Covered: 24/7/365

Josep oversees the continuous improvement maintenance and predictive department at his manufacturing plant. He also appreciates the 24/7/365 coverage. “If there’s an anomaly, our maintenance personnel are alerted. This allows us to anticipate failures and plan effective maintenance. Thanks to Augury, the machines are talking to us. Augury listens, and then tells us what needs to be done to improve that machine’s health.”

Sometimes, these alerts come when you least expect them, and that’s when trust comes into play the most. PJ, a Predictive Maintenance Technology Lead, shares one instance that would have cost his company a lot if Augury hadn’t already won him over: “We had a machine completely overhauled and rebuilt before turning it over to Production. A couple of hours later, it went into alarm. I went down there and checked it. I found the bolts were loose on the bearings, so I had them shut it down. We re-torqued everything, checked the alignment, and returned it to Production again. Had we not had a monitoring system like Augury, we could have lost the $250,000 we just spent on rebuilding it.” 

How The Trust Was Won

Ultimately, seeing is believing, and sharing experiences helps others feel more comfortable embracing new things. Jacob summarizes it best: “If it’s helping us and we’re seeing all these returns and downtime savings, then why not see if other plants want to do it. We can prove it to them if they are interested, and we can show the benefits of the system and how it works,” says Jacob. “We’re all under the same umbrella, and it’s raining outside, so let’s help each other out.” 

And what happened to Ronald and his fear of losing his job and his doubts about the tech itself? He was won over on both counts – and fast. “For me, it became clear: my job changed a little bit. But I still work as a vibration analyst. And I am happy to work with Augury’s system and, of course, the Augury team!”

Want to help others embrace new technology? Reach out to share your story from the factory floor.

The post From Skeptic To Believer: Straight Talk From The Factory Floor  appeared first on Augury.

Dave Penrith spent 35 years at Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturers. He started as an apprentice on the floor and worked up to Chief Engineer. In his last role, he was fundamental in rolling out various AI-driven digital transformation projects. We always love talking to this Fast-Track Maverick, so we decided it was time for another chat – and this time, we’d focus more on the training and reskilling involved when driving innovation on the factory floor. Read and learn!

What sort of AI tech is the industry generally seeing?

Dave: Data analytics and data mining, which involve an algorithm extracting relevant data and contextualizing it for use, are two of the leading AI technologies in the manufacturing landscape today. These solutions are already changing manufacturing as we know it, and it’s just the beginning. 

AI drives faster, more varied, broader data analytics and, ultimately, more powerful execution. It is also a game-changer for manufacturing improvement programs. At first, there was a misconception that AI would replace the need for manufacturing improvement programs, but really, it has augmented these initiatives to be more impactful than ever before.   

Can you elaborate on how AI aligns with more old-school manufacturing improvement programs?

Typical objectives of manufacturing improvement programs include tackling quality control, optimizing processes, driving efficiency, managing inventory, empowering people, boosting yield, etc. Before the prevalence of AI, there was a lot of guesswork in how these programs moved towards these goals and inconsistencies between tenured industry talent. Current AI algorithms are more exact in their prescriptive insights. They can power more complex data analytics so manufacturers can see their progress toward these initiatives in real-time. 

Manufacturing talent involved in these improvement programs will have an augmented role with AI copilots, helping them drive more impactful results.

Read more industry insights from Dave Penrith: ‘If People Feel Safe, They Fly‘ 

Can you describe some of your first-hand experiences in bringing AI to manufacturing?

I have experience working with industrial AI solutions that tackle machine reliability (Augury’s Machine Health) and optimize production lines (Augury’s Process Health). When I worked for a global manufacturer, I also used AI to build a fully closed-loop digital twin on a piece of processing equipment. This project involved leveraging a comprehensive data set to assess the equipment’s trends and anomalies and building an algorithm to control the setpoints. We then took the human out of the loop and gave the algorithm complete equipment control.  

What new skills are needed for these types of AI?

Though the industry is often focused on bridging the technical skills gap, hard skills are not the problem. These skills can be defined and learned. Instead, I urge manufacturers to focus on soft skills first. I’ve talked to many companies about AI; some need help understanding it.

For this reason, these organizations are scared rather than curious. They also hope they can buy AI off the shelf, and it will do its job. Instead of giving in to fear, these companies must embrace curiosity and educate themselves on augmenting their people strategy with AI. 

“When adopting a disruptive technology like AI, some leaders get too focused on the technology when it’s the people’s journey that decides the pace of technological advancement.”

What has been your specific role in training manufacturing workers for AI?

I have extensive experience helping manufacturers build comprehensive upskilling initiatives. At my last company, I led a massive digital transformation, a common reason a manufacturer will kick off a complex upskilling initiative. At first glance, this digital transformation might seem straightforward because we developed the technology and capabilities in just a few days. However, technology is not the challenging aspect of these projects. It’s the people. This project required us to enact large-scale organizational changes, including upskilling existing staff and onboarding apprentices with digital expertise.  

I often lean on this experience when I advise other organizations undergoing similar transformations. When adopting a disruptive technology like AI, some leaders get too focused on the technology when it’s the people’s journey that decides the pace of technological advancement. It’s critical to look at an organization from top to bottom, understand the age-old problems you’re trying to solve for your people, and decide which tools will address them.   

“As an industry, we swing between old and new rather than operating somewhere in the middle. It’s time to break out of a pendulum mindset.”

How are companies re-training staff for AI on the factory floor?

Companies must do more re-training, which is the first gap we must fill. It’s essential to treat AI for what it is – a significant change – and then deploy robust training as part of your change management strategy. All too often, companies are anxious about a new AI initiative and believe they can buy AI and start reaping the benefits immediately. Instead, these organizations should look at what the most forward-thinking industry players are doing: taking a blended approach by adopting AI, adding new tech talent to their benches, and upskilling current employees. 

This approach works so well because it sits at the intersection of tradition and innovation. As an industry, we swing between old and new rather than operating somewhere in the middle. It’s time to break out of a pendulum mindset. AI and your most esteemed data scientists cannot solve deep machine problems if they work in a silo. But combining these experts and AI tools like Augury’s Machine Health with machinery engineers will solve problems. 

“In addition to helping end-users understand how the technology will improve their role without eliminating it, leaders must show confidence and support by providing a robust technology budget. As much as organizations invest in tech, they must also invest in the people training needed to adopt it.”

Can you offer some examples of companies taking this “blended approach”? What companies are incorporating AI into manufacturing well, and how?

Those successfully incorporating AI into manufacturing have gotten buy-in at all levels – from the C-suite to the factory floor and everywhere in between. These organizations have led a culture shift to show how AI can unlock untapped potential within manufacturing.

Large industrial manufacturers typically give their individual sites some autonomy to make their own decisions, so it’s essential to involve all levels in the change management aspect of AI rollout. Representation across departments and sites can ensure teams feel represented in their local cultures and can maintain their autonomy. 

In addition to helping end-users understand how the technology will improve their role without eliminating it, leaders must show confidence and support by providing a robust technology budget. As much as organizations invest in tech, they must also invest in the people training needed to adopt it.

Quite a few companies have successfully incorporated AI into manufacturing. You can check out a handful of customers’ success stories on Augury’s website. These testimonials show how certain companies generate buy-in across levels to transform operations, reduce downtime, boost productivity, and achieve rapid value and significant ROI in less than a year.

What skills are workers commonly being trained in, and how?

Manufacturing leaders train their teams on basic data handling and data science, going through advanced data science. But most will try to help their teams establish foundational knowledge first. One way to help workers develop this initial base is to allow them to look at data from different perspectives and learn from experience. 

One low-risk way I’ve done this in the past is by giving my teams access to business intelligence tools that allow them to display data sets in new ways. This approach enables workers to connect the dots between insights, quickly identify new patterns, become increasingly interested, and start self-learning. Once manufacturing leaders ignite curiosity in their workforces, they should provide additional training and educational materials to help their teams deepen their data science skills.  

“Time investment also varies by company and role, but spending too much time upskilling teams on new tech is impossible.”

Let’s talk about the bottom line. How much time and money are companies investing in AI, and why?

Budgets vary by company, but data from Augury’s latest State of Production Health Report indicates that AI budgets are on the rise across the industry. This study surveyed 500 executives across the U.S. and Europe with global revenues of $100M+ and found that 63% are increasing AI spending. These executives identified upskilling their workforces as a top manufacturing objective for leveraging AI, followed by increasing capacity and streamlining supply chain visibility. 80% are also optimistic that AI will positively impact workforce upskilling efforts.

Time investment also varies by company and role, but spending too much time upskilling teams on new tech is impossible. However, leaders mustn’t invest all their resources in upskilling their IT team to learn AI skills and ignore the rest of their workforce. Establishing a center of excellence that houses AI best practices is fine, but AI drives the most impact on the factory floor, so leaders must train those who will directly use AI. 

How are workers being trained to use Augury’s Machine Health?

Augury’s approach is robust, with multiple teams working on strategically, technically, and educationally to enable change management. The Customer Success Team works with manufacturing workers to develop long-term strategies for their success, whether optimizing maintenance budgets, increasing uptime, or improving workforce efficiency. The reliability success team helps users understand their asset criticality. It gives context to the machine alerts they receive and the recommended actions so that workers can trust the outputs. Augury’s team of category 3 and 4 (CAT III and IV) vibration analysts collaborate and provide feedback to workers in real-time to align with customers’ business objectives.

“Technology partners can undoubtedly participate in this process, working with manufacturers to gain confidence in their AI models, best practices, and training to upskill and educate manufacturing talent.”

Augury also offers customers access to The Endpoint, an online community where workers can connect with a network of peers to share success and information. The Endpoint also hosts an array of educational resources, with 200+ hours of technical training and on-demand tutorials so manufacturers can learn at their own pace. 

You talked earlier about organizations being “scared rather than curious” about AI… How can we help manufacturers become more curious and open to AI’s possibilities?

This comes naturally with validating the solution. Technology partners can undoubtedly participate in this process, working with manufacturers to gain confidence in their AI models, best practices, and training to upskill and educate manufacturing talent. And once a manufacturer understands AI’s measurable positive impact on their People, Profits, and Planet initiatives, why would they ever want to turn back?


 Read more industry insights from Dave Penrith: ‘If People Feel Safe, They Fly‘.

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Everyone knows that sustainability is changing the manufacturing game – it really doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. One example is automobile manufacturing, where an increased focus on improving energy efficiency has made the shift from metals and alloys to lighter-weight plastic components into the new common sense. This is great news for the plastic industry, which is expected to reach a value of $721.14 billion USD by 2025.

But in the era of sustainability, growth brings specific challenges for plastic manufacturers. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of single-use plastic waste in the environment, especially as China and other southeast Asian countries are no longer importing the quantities of plastic for recycling that they once did. Meanwhile, fluctuating oil prices are making it more and more important for manufacturers to sustainably source raw materials, and use them as efficiently as possible to maximize throughput. And while recycled plastic is now in high demand, not all recycled resins meet consistent standards.

Taken together, these new realities mean that plastic manufacturers looking for an edge must get creative, and find novel ways to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and respond to sustainability demands.

So what can plastic manufacturers do to meet these challenges?

While there are no straightforward answers to one of the biggest questions of the 21st century, forward-thinking plastic manufacturers are tackling the challenge with machine health solutions.

Using recycled components is perhaps the most obvious of these. Recycling helps reduce dependence on raw petroleum products, thereby increasing efficiency, improving sustainability, and reducing critical perceptions of the industry. The problem, however, is maintaining consistently high quality in recycled materials. When firms are buying recycled pellets from off-shore plastic recyclers, quality can be a crapshoot–and no manufacturer wants to gamble on sub-par materials.

In response to this problem, the most innovative plastic manufacturers are getting ahead of the curve by moving toward vertical integration of their production processes. By getting into the recycling game, plastic manufacturers can exert more direct control over efficiency and sustainability throughout the manufacturing chain from raw inputs through to finished products. However, it also presents many points at which quality can be compromised–and this is where machine health becomes more important than ever.

Organizations monitoring machine health are applying lessons of sustainability to their operations and internal resources – becoming more efficient while saving money and time. Firms that pay attention to the optimal operation of the machines used in their manufacturing process can identify potential trouble spots and anticipate machine failures before they happen, avoiding costly unanticipated downtime and increasing overall production efficiency. This translates directly into dollars saved and less waste.

Consider the thermoplastics manufacturing process and its range of machine-assisted processing techniques. Facilities that perform extrusion, slow-molding, and injection molding processes depend on machines like single- and twin-screw extruders, dust and fume collectors, pelletizers, vacuum pumps, and chilled water pumps to work effectively whenever the line is running. If any one of these machines fail, or even functions below their optimal efficiency, the entire facility risks under-performance and production delays.

For example, a leading rigid plastic manufacturer recently turned to Augury’s continuous monitoring solution after a series of mechanical failures caused them to lose shelf space and market share to their competition. With Augury’s help, they determined the most critical assets needed to keep their lines running efficiently and to meet their production demands.

Within months Augury diagnosed early-stage bearing wear within their twin-screw extruder, an expensive asset highly critical to their production process. Given the advance notice, the plant was able to schedule the necessary repairs during their next planned downtime. Equipped with a clear understanding of the issue and best maintenance practices for fixing it, the team was able to optimize their technician’s wrench time during the planned downtime and had the extruder up and running swiftly.

While no one wants to discover faults developing within their machines, it’s far worse to not find out until it’s too late. The good news is that by investing in machine health monitoring and identifying faults at their earliest signs, teams discover problems well before their equipment fails — keeping them on target to meet their efficiency and sustainability commitments.

In 2020, we know that corporate social and environmental responsibility have to be more than just buzzwords. Rather, companies must demonstrate their sustainability commitment by becoming as effective and efficient as possible in their manufacturing processes. It’s certainly a bonus when these sustainability measures simultaneously drive competitive edge. By focusing on machine health, plastic companies can improve their business while also tackling sustainability challenges head on.

Let’s talk about what Augury can do for you.

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