Monitor Coatings works on Remote Manufacturing and Troubleshooting Through Machine Learning IIoT

Over the last 6 years Monitor Coatings Limited, a Castolin Eutectic company headquartered in the UK, have developed game changing technologies that are shared, through technology transfer licenses, to customers and competitors alike. Such outward transfer of technology has become an important dimension in our corporate strategy and has created a highly interdependent ecosystem between Monitor Coatings and the organisations currently using our technologies.

We provide the highest level of customer support which typically involves a subject matter expert attending the customer's site to trouble shoot, train and transfer the technology. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, most of the work is currently done remotely. However, in the absence of sophisticated digital remote assistance and monitoring tools the quality of technical and service support to our licensees is extremely compromised. This in turn has caused disruption within the supply chain.

Responding to this 'new normal', Monitor Coatings will work on a project that will capitalise on previous industrial internet of things developments in an attempt to put more sensors on machines, finalise existing simulation tools, make measurements and build a holistic digital twin of thermal spray processes. With real-time monitoring centres in the UK, both organisations will be able to supervise on a minute by minute basis whether a system installed in the UK, Italy or Norway is running as intended. This project is fully aligned with the latest international IIoT opportunities and can contribute significantly towards a leading UK surface engineering IIoT platform. The project received support from Innovate UK - The Sustainable Innovation Fund.