High Speed Gapper Beds keep a global online retailer’s fulfilment network moving. But these units had no real-time visibility, relying on manual checks that often missed early signs of belt over-tensioning or mechanical wear. When a gapper bed fails, downstream lines stall instantly, driving costly downtime, lost throughput, and emergency repairs. Teams needed a way to spot heat and tension issues hours before they became failures.
MultiSensor AI deployed fixed thermal monitoring points directly on the High Speed Gapper Beds. These sensors provided live data on belt temperature and tension. The system continuously analyzed this data, allowing the Reliability Maintenance Engineering (RME) team to identify over-tensioned belts and intervene before failures occurred. This real-time monitoring eliminated the need for frequent manual inspections and enabled more efficient, targeted maintenance.
Early detection prevented unexpected stoppages, reduced downtime by 30%, and cut maintenance costs by minimizing reactive repairs and unnecessary spare-part usage. Throughput on the monitored bed improved 11.4x, eliminating choke points that previously slowed the line. The shift from reactive firefighting to proactive monitoring delivered measurable operational protection.
With continuous thermal monitoring in place, the site has reported zero thermal incidents since deployment. Automated workflows now notify the right teams instantly, improving response times and enabling faster, safer interventions. The overall program delivered a 20x return on investment through higher uptime, optimized maintenance, and stronger operational performance.