Organizations across virtually every industry rely on their electronic equipment to keep their business running smoothly.
These key electronics can be found everywhere from production floors to warehouses to shipping centers and more. They help keep machines running, products properly labeled, items accounted for, team members in the know and more. If these electronics fail, they can result in lost revenue for the organization.
Let’s take a look at the various ways DustShield enclosure solutions can help companies save costs.
Cutting Costs with DustShield
Maintenance
Unless the equipment is housed in a clean room environment, it will always draw in and collect particulates in the air. On the production floor, this can include sawdust, metal shavings and aerosols, just to name a few in a long list. In a warehouse, it can be as simple as dust. Regardless the particulates in the air, they can collect on and inside electronics.
This can greatly hinder their usefulness and reliability. Dirty lenses and printer heads can cause misprints that make tracking difficult. Computers can overheat and shut down.
On top of that, there is the danger of spills, from machine oils to even just water, all of which can also damage the machine.
If the machine is unprotected, the team will have to regularly clean it to keep it running correctly. If the equipment is protected from airborne dangers and spills, the IT and/or maintenance teams won’t have to focus as much on keeping it clean. The team can just easily wipe off the enclosure, while the electronics inside stay clean and functioning properly. The teams can, therefore focus on other, more productive tasks in the organization.
Replacement Machines
If unprotected in a dirty environment, electronics will very likely accumulate enough debris to eventually cause a failure. Overheating and short circuits are common in machines that collect too much dust and other particulates.
If the machine fails and is unrepairable, the organization will have to purchase a replacement.
New machines can cost significantly more than the electronics being replaced, especially when factoring in variables like installation and programming. In addition, many of the electronics in a facility are key to the organization’s processes. An electronic failure could result in unexpected downtime that could lead to missed deadlines, product errors and shipping issues. The downtime could be extended if lead times for a new electronic is longer than normal.
In some cases, organizations are relying on electronics they’ve had for years. If they fail and a new model is ordered for replacement, it could also result in added training to educate team members on the new machine.
Communications
In any organization, clear communication is key to keeping team members informed of deadlines, goals and important news. Without a means of communicating directly with team members, the duty of passing on information often passes to supervisors, who are already stretched thin.
An enclosure solution allows organizations to place screens in key locations to help them better reach their team members. The enclosures protect the screen from particulates, extending its life and greatly enhancing reliability. This way, team members have easy access to the information they need on a daily basis, and supervisors can focus on other areas.
In addition, an enclosure solution can help protect mobile equipment that is often carried and then stored, e.g., radios. A solution can be built to store the equipment and charge it as needed.
DustShield enclosures can be equipped with locks to protect equipment from theft and tampering. This also allows organizations to store this equipment in more convenient locations, allowing authorized team members the availability to grab the equipment on the go while keeping out unauthorized access.
Process Efficiency
Putting equipment near where it’s needed is a key component of efficiency.
For example, if a team member is working on the floor and sends something to a printer in the office, they must then leave their position to get the paper. Along the way, they could end up making detours or stopping for chats. On the other hand, this is all eliminated if they could print the materials they need right where they work.
This also applies to key machine controls. They are also susceptible to airborne particulates. But if a company protects them with an enclosure, they can operate their machines with peace of mind knowing their controls are safe from those dangers.
Security
As mentioned previously, DustShield enclosure solutions can help organizations secure electronics to prevent theft and tampering.
But, they can also enhance cybersecurity and protect data.
Enclosures can be designed to block USB port access to everyone who doesn’t have the authority to use it. This keeps people from accidentally or purposefully spreading malware and spyware that can infect the company’s systems. It also ensures that only certain team members can access and/or download data, mitigating data theft.
Software Protection
Enclosures can also protect key software and hardware.
Legacy software is sometimes stored directly in controls and other electronics that might be in the production/warehouse area. In some cases, organizations have minimum, if any, backups for their systems.
If the equipment fails, it could result in the organization losing key information that was stored locally. The company could lose key production recipes, logistics info and more, which can then result in downtime and lost orders.
Safety
There are a number of particulates that can collect inside electronics and cause fires. These fires can easily and quickly spread to the surrounding area and cause destruction.
One thing that makes this threat even more dire is that it can happen while the facility is running or closed. If electronics are left running, they are susceptible.
If a fire breaks out in a facility, it could be catastrophic. It could injure, or worse, team members, damage machines and even destroy the facility.
Downtime
Ultimately, all of the above dangers and issues could lead to unexpected downtime.
Downtime can be lengthy depending on the electronics failure and consequences. A small repair might take minutes, but a failure or worse could result in much more lost time.
If it goes on too long, downtime can cause a variety of problems for an organization. Customer orders could be halted. Production could shut down. Key processes can be disrupted and software lost.
And the company can lose a lot of revenue through the process.
At DustShield, our team works with organizations in a huge variety of industries to develop enclosure solutions to protect their key equipment. DustShield filtration systems can filter out particulates as small as .01 microns in size, as well as protect data, legacy software and sensitive data. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact our enclosure specialists at 417.736.3746 or [email protected].
