Danfoss France – moneo reveals potential savings
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Summary Sensor data that saves money: With moneo, Danfoss identifies hidden losses and potential failures at an early stage – saving more than 80,000 euros every year. |
Turning data into savings
How Danfoss uses moneo to uncover hidden losses and save more than 80,000 euros a year
Industrial companies today generate vast amounts of process data. But it is only when this information is intelligently connected and analysed that it delivers real value. This is precisely the step that Danfoss has taken at its production site in Reyrieux, France. The world’s leading manufacturer of refrigeration and air conditioning technology uses ifm’s IIoT platform moneo at the site to increase transparency across its production processes, reduce energy consumption and enable predictive maintenance planning. The results speak for themselves: annual savings of more than 80,000 euros, increased plant availability and an entirely new perspective on production.
Innovation in refrigeration and air conditioning
At its production site in Reyrieux, France, the company manufactures reciprocating compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Production runs almost continuously, so unplanned downtime or unnecessary energy losses have an immediate impact on productivity and cost efficiency.
As part of its digitalisation strategy, Danfoss aimed to make better use of existing process data. Although numerous sensors were already installed throughout the production facilities, the data had previously only been analysed selectively. As a result, many developments went undetected – particularly gradual changes that only became apparent after weeks or months in the form of rising energy costs or technical problems.
From individual measurements to a complete picture of the plant
Before moneo was introduced, maintenance relied primarily on regular inspections, employees’ experience and the analysis of utility bills. While this approach worked well for obvious problems, small leaks, gradually increasing consumption of process media and early signs of mechanical wear often went unnoticed for long periods.
As a result, faults were often only detected once they had already caused production downtime or led to unnecessarily high operating costs. The objective was therefore clear: all relevant process data needed to be brought together in a centralised system, continuously monitored and automatically analysed. This would help uncover hidden losses before they resulted in high costs.
moneo combines sensor technology and data analysis
With the introduction of moneo, Danfoss created a central platform for monitoring its production facilities. The software collects data from a wide variety of sensors and presents it clearly in dashboards and long-term trend views. At the same time, it monitors defined thresholds and automatically alerts the relevant personnel as soon as process parameters move outside their specified range.
The parameters monitored include temperature, pressure, flow and vibration – precisely the variables that are critical to safe and cost-efficient plant operation. The data is not only analysed in real time, but also stored over the long term. This makes it possible to detect gradual changes that would otherwise go largely unnoticed in day-to-day operations.
Since the project was launched in 2020, the solution has been continuously expanded. Today, more than 400 sensors are integrated into the system, with over 1,200 process parameters being continuously monitored. This provides Danfoss with an almost complete digital representation of its production processes.
Nitrogen leak detected within 24 hours
The benefits of continuous monitoring became apparent very soon after moneo was introduced.
Following maintenance by an external service provider, a nitrogen valve was accidentally left slightly open. The increased consumption would hardly have been noticeable during day-to-day production, meaning the unnecessary loss would likely only have come to light months later, with the next gas bill.
However, by continuously recording and analysing consumption data, moneo was able to detect the unusual consumption pattern within just 24 hours. The relevant personnel were automatically alerted and were able to respond immediately. The leak was quickly fixed, preventing unnecessary gas consumption.
This example clearly demonstrates how quickly investments in data-driven monitoring can pay off. Instead of merely reacting to problems, they are immediately identified and resolved.
Image 2: An ifm flow meter of the SD series monitors nitrogen consumption. The measured values are transmitted to moneo in real time and continuously analysed.
Image 3: The moneo dashboard immediately highlights any unusual increases in nitrogen consumption and enables a rapid response to leaks.
Predictive maintenance prevents costly failures
Another optimisation project focused on the electric drives used in production. In the past, failures occurred regularly. Loose belts, insufficient lubrication or progressive wear resulted in around ten failures each year.
Each individual failure resulted in repair costs between 3,000 and 4,000 euros. In addition, there were production interruptions, personnel costs and unplanned maintenance work.
By continuously monitoring the systems, moneo can now detect changes in machine condition at an early stage. Unusual vibrations or other signs of wear become apparent long before a component actually fails. This allows maintenance work to be planned and integrated into existing production schedules.
The result: around ten failures per year have been prevented. This alone saves Danfoss approximately 40,000 euros a year, whilst significantly increasing plant availability. Today, maintenance is far more predictable and efficient than before.
Long-term trends reveal gradual losses
Not every optimisation is the result of an alert. The long-term analyses provided by moneo have proven particularly valuable.
One example is the helium consumption of a production plant. The daily readings consistently remained within the expected range, giving staff no reason to take action.
Only the long-term trend view revealed that consumption had been steadily increasing over several months – from around 0.2 to almost 1 cubic metre per hour. The change took place so gradually that it remained virtually imperceptible in day-to-day operations.
This insight made it possible to pinpoint and eliminate the cause. The result was additional savings of more than 40,000 euros per year. The example clearly demonstrates the particular value of data-driven analysis: it identifies not only acute problems, but also gradual developments that can lead to significant costs over time.
Greater transparency for production and maintenance
In addition to the immediately quantifiable savings, Danfoss benefits from significantly greater transparency across the entire production process. All process data is available centrally and can be analysed across sites. Root cause analyses can be carried out much faster, decisions are based on reliable data rather than assumptions, and maintenance work is performed exactly where it is actually needed.
Step by step, traditional reactive maintenance has evolved into a condition-based, data-driven maintenance strategy. Production facilities remain operational for longer, resources are used more efficiently, and energy consumption can be continuously optimised.
“moneo solves a problem every month”
For Karl Lobry, General Manager at Danfoss, the value of the platform is particularly evident in day-to-day operations: “With moneo, I solve an issue every month – that alone makes the investment worthwhile.” This statement highlights that the real value of the software goes beyond the documented savings. A key advantage is moneo’s ability to identify problems at an early stage, enabling continuous improvement over time.
Image 4: Precise flow meters of the SD series from ifm measure helium consumption and provide the basis for long-term trend analyses.
Image 5: The long-term analysis in moneo reveals gradual increases in helium gas consumption, which often go unnoticed in day-to-day operations.
Image 1: At the plant in Reyrieux, France, Danfoss manufactures reciprocating compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
Conclusion
The project at Danfoss demonstrates how companies can leverage existing sensor data to deliver tangible business value. With moneo, measurement data is not only collected but translated into actionable recommendations. Leaks are detected within a few hours, machine conditions are continuously monitored and gradual energy losses are made visible.
What started as a digitalisation initiative has evolved into a powerful tool for continuously optimising production processes. The result: more than 80,000 euros in documented annual savings, increased plant availability and a modern, data-driven maintenance strategy. With these results, Danfoss provides a compelling example of how industrial digitalisation can create measurable business benefits in practice.
