Industry
Power
APPLICATION SOLUTION:
Sensor Box™ Addresses Power Plant’s Emergency Requirements
Solution
The Sensor Box™
Key Results
Maintenance responsiveness improved
Expediting/emergency deliveries eliminated
Inventory flexibility: more turns, less “dead” items
Challenge
Temperature is a key parameter in power plant applications and the loss of a temperature sensor can be critical to its operation. A lost signal can lead to reduced efficiency, eventual equipment failure, and even plant shutdown. One major power plant in the Midwest was experiencing frequent emergencies and always scrambling to find replacement temperature sensors. Their stockroom was full of sensor assemblies at high inventory cost, but they never seemed to have what they needed. Their Maintenance group faced a hard choice – continue guessing which sensor assemblies might fail and stocking spares at expensive inventory cost, or rely on emergency orders and expensive expediting fees when a sensor failed?
Solution
The Maintenance team turned to UE-Applied Sensor Technologies’ Sensor Box™. The Sensor Box’s modular approach allowed them to respond quickly to emergencies while also reducing the plant’s inventory costs, and expediting and shipping fees. Maintenance technicians could build the exact temperature assembly needed in their shop and have the process back running in less than an hour. The program afforded them piece of mind knowing that they were covered for most situations. Additionally, the Maintenance team took a creative step by making the Sensor Box™ program a part of their Lean/5S effort, organizing the components in their own parts cabinet, and creating a reorder process so they continuously had parts.
Customer implementation of the Sensor Box stock program 
