Total predictive maintenance: AI + IoT + vibration experts

Developing NSK's condition monitoring ecosystem

Kunihiko

This project is being driven by a global team based in Germany and Japan. I’m responsible for managing the development team and devising the development roadmap in collaboration with worksites around the world. My other important mission is to listen to the needs of our global customers and address these in our plans.

Satoshi

I’m primarily responsible for developing and expanding product features. To meet the needs of our customers, we’ve been using agile development to repeatedly test small-scale prototypes and build optimized solutions.

Arisa

I’m in charge of overall marketing and product branding as we work to introduce our solutions. This involves working to increase product awareness and attract new customers through our websites and advertisements. As the parts of the project come together, the rollout to market is my time to shine!

Kunihiko

At NSK, we want to know all the details about our customers’ equipment so that we can best meet their needs. We’ve been developing CMS technologies with this in mind to enhance our aftermarket presence. However, implementing CMS as a service requires a wide variety of resources, including sensors, monitoring devices, and databases that reflect the advice and suggestions received from our customers. B&K Vibro, with its strengths in CMS for wind turbines and years of service data, has been a great asset to NSK. Combining our technologies and capabilities, we’re developing a comprehensive solution that suits a wide range of industries.

Kunihiko

The key point and challenge of this project has been to apply B&K Vibro's CMS technologies, which have a proven track record in wind power generation, to other industries by leveraging NSK's knowhow and data on mechanical components. As this is a new undertaking, the project is a constant process of trial and error.

Satoshi

There is no "right answer" when it comes to developing new systems. Our approach has been to provide a minimum viable product (MVP) as a small-scale prototype and test it in the field at a customer's plant. This allows us to quickly identify any issues and make improvements, advancing our solutions step by step.

Arisa

Another key point is that the overseas sites of NSK and B&K Vibro are working together as one team. Although we’ve faced some communication difficulties as the project members all come from different backgrounds, we are working together to overcome these challenges one by one. I personally try to make sure we are sharing enough information and communicating proactively to ensure mutual understanding and develop more effective marketing strategies.

Kunihiko

The IT infrastructure at different NSK sites can also vary. This can make communications tricky; however, Arisa helped us create a shared platform for the project that made it possible for team members across different regions to share information smoothly. This is true in product development as well—the systems we want to create differ by country, and developing locally tends to result in services that only match local needs. Having a shared platform has helped to create a sense of cooperation towards our collective goal of creating a CMS ecosystem that can be used anywhere in the world.

Satoshi

Building on this I think a key point is that we are looking beyond on-premise needs to build CMS services that can fully utilize the power of the cloud. This focus makes sense in terms of our global ambitions. Since this is one of NSK's first large-scale cloud deployments, we are charting new territory.

Arisa

Both NSK and B&K Vibro have equipment diagnosticians who are experts in vibration. By combining their knowledge with AI, we hope to allow even young engineers to diagnose issues with the same confidence as veteran specialists.

Satoshi

I imagine that many users do not trust AI alone to make important decisions. I believe NSK is in a unique position to provide value through the guarantees and specific recommendations provided by our diagnosticians.

Kunihiko

Our goal for the future is to ensure reliability throughout the CMS ecosystem and to expand the range of support that AI can provide.

Kunihiko

It is rather difficult for NSK to gather data on machine failures by itself. It’s hard to replicate a machine breakdown in a controlled way, and it is also difficult to collect data on a real-work breakdown after it has already occurred. This makes AI development a challenge. We’ve wanted to install bearings with sensors to collect information on the timing and cause of failures, but costs and other hurdles have not made this feasible. However, B&K Vibro has decades of experience monitoring wind turbine machinery and has accumulated a wealth of failure data. Of course, taking this data and applying it to other industries is a separate challenge!

Kunihiko

I had only worked in Japan and the U.S. before, so it was great to learn about the German work style. I feel that the trial and error of learning how to effectively navigate different styles of communication also improved my approach to finding new processes in development.

Satoshi

We have a truly diverse group of members, including former salespeople, production engineers, and data architects. It was an interesting challenge to have the members of the team share their opinions on equal terms and reach a consensus. Although I believed I was good at coming up with new ideas from scratch on my own, the project helped me rediscover my passion for organizing discussions using frameworks like design thinking^*2through trial-and-error.
^*2A design approach to identify issues from the user's perspective and adopt creative solutions. Design thinking emphasizes empathy, problem framing, idea generation, prototyping, and verification processes.

Arisa

Working on marketing strategy with colleagues from across the globe has also been exciting. I enjoy meeting regularly with B&K Vibro's marketing staff and seeing firsthand how our strategies evolve as our services expand.

Kunihiko

NSK is currently working to expand its software expertise, so even if you are a mid-career hire, you will have many opportunities right away, and people across the organization will rely on your skills. Also, software development at NSK is closely linked to actual machines and equipment, so you’ll be able see the tangible results of your work—it’s very rewarding.

Satoshi

In CMS software development, we use the agile approach, first building the minimum required functionality and then improving on it over multiple iterations. It’s a fun and lively approach that’s quite different than the linear nature of the waterfall methodology. All of NSK’s resources are on the table at our discussions as we think about which customers we can reach out to, how we can gather feedback, and what features we can deliver. Since the scope and priorities for each phase are planned out, we can press ahead without worrying about the typical pitfalls of agile development.

Arisa

Software development at NSK requires a deep understanding of the customer's market and their equipment—it’s totally different than working for an IT company, and extremely exciting! Also, since NSK operates globally, we have many chances to work with people from around the world, which has been a unique and rewarding experience.