MachineQ, a Comcast Company, today announced the launch of an asset utilization solution, extending further value to customers and complementing its existing solution portfolio, which includes indoor asset tracking and facility wellness.

The new solution is prime for life sciences companies. According to McKinsey, pharmaceutical companies are using assets at an average 35% utilization rate.

Asset utilization data is vital for the life sciences industry, and the new solution enables companies to interface with their lab assets and gauge how often they are being used based on a unique pairing of IoT devices and data analysis. The value derived from this solution means that functional leaders can make data-backed decisions for better control over capital costs, help lab managers identify ways to support sustainability initiatives like powering down energy-intensive assets when not in use, enable operations leaders to enhance calibration and maintenance schedules for optimal performance, and inform facilities teams with space planning details leveraging over or underutilized equipment data to help drive efficient layout and design of labs and campuses.

“Unlocking the full potential of assets in a research-intensive landscape like labs and facilities helps accelerate R&D for our customers,” said Steve Corbesero, Jr., Director of Product and Solutions, MachineQ. “The growing imperative to gather additional intel about assets for better management and efficient use is clear. We’ve developed this solution to provide further context and help layer on information to real-time location data being delivered already. While we’re beginning with an offering of analysis-rich data derived from our occupancy and vibration sensors to help determine asset usage, we are actively incorporating additional sensors to broaden the range of supported asset types. And like we do with all our solutions, look to leverage the same IoT network infrastructure for an economical offering to our customers.”

The solution allows lab managers, operations teams, facility planners, and functional leaders to infer asset utilization based on a mix of asset location, time of flight, and presence detection data using sensors and devices placed on assets. For example:

• Presence sensors placed in front of laboratory work benches, biosafety cabinets, and other stationary assets to detect presence and dwell time provides insights into how often and for how long these assets are used.
• Vibration sensors placed on lab equipment with motors, such as centrifuges, can extrapolate utilization data based on vibration levels and lid open/close activity to provide similar information.

The asset utilization data coupled with real-time location data – via MachineQ’s indoor asset tracking solution – can unlock insights instrumental to informing asset purchasing and distribution, capacity planning, upholding calibration/maintenance schedules, and guiding budget-related decision-making.

In addition to its relevance for life sciences, the asset utilization solution has broader applicability to other industries, including food and beverage and hospitality. Consider ice machines – asset utilization data can provide insight into usage volume and peak usage times. When combined with real-time vibration data from the sensor, it becomes possible to proactively deduce maintenance schedules to help reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns and asset downtime, and extend the asset lifecycle.

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