Factory Equipment Health Checkups... Predicting Breakdown Risks in Advance [Unmanned Era⑩]

Yoon Byung-dong, CEO of OnePredict
Combines Equipment Knowledge with AI Technology
Developed 'Gadion' Solution
Data Analysis and Health Condition Diagnosis
Provides Early Warnings Before Issues Arise

"Annual Economic Benefit of 4.2 Billion Won When Clients Adopt Gadion"

From the 6th to the 8th of last month, OnePredict demonstrated the 'Gadiwon Motor,' which diagnoses the condition of motors using artificial intelligence (AI), at 'Smart Factory & Automation World 2022' held at COEX in Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] In an era where humans are the core workforce of factories, health is more important than anything else. As experienced during the COVID-19 era, deterioration in workers' health immediately leads to a decline in productivity. This is why companies check the health status of job seekers before hiring and bear the cost of regular health management after hiring.

What if, as we move into an era of automation and unmanned operations, machines replace humans in many areas of factories? Monitoring and managing their condition regularly may become even more important than before. Unlike humans, machines are not easily replaceable quickly and, in some cases, their failure can cause the entire system to shut down.

Yoon Byung-dong, CEO of OnePredict (age 52), has long focused on this point. Founded in 2016, OnePredict provides predictive maintenance solutions for factory machines and equipment using artificial intelligence (AI). As smart factories increase due to companies' digital transformation, it performs 'real-time health checks' on various automated devices and warns in advance before problems occur. In 2020, it was selected as a final winner in the Ministry of Science and ICT’s ‘Global ICT Future Unicorn Nurturing Project.’ Currently also a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University, CEO Yoon said, "I started the company with the judgment that systematizing industrial knowledge, which exists only in tacit form, could greatly help many industrial sites." His desire for the technologies developed while working as a professor not to remain only in the lab but to benefit industrial sites and society also influenced this decision.

Yoon Byung-dong, CEO of OnePredict

OnePredict’s solution called ‘GuardiOne’ is based on an ‘Industrial AI algorithm’ that combines equipment-related knowledge with AI technology to analyze data generated from industrial equipment, diagnose health status, and predict failure risks. When GuardiOne is installed on equipment, it can improve the efficiency of equipment, processes, and operations, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance safety within industrial sites. It serves as a kind of ‘digital brain’ for equipment.

GuardiOne is mainly used in industries such as energy generation, petrochemicals, utilities, and manufacturing. Its clients include Lotte Chemical, S-Oil, GS Power, E1, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and LG. CEO Yoon said, "Analysis of client data showed an annual economic effect of 4.2 billion KRW from adopting GuardiOne." He added, "One energy generation client was planning to replace aging equipment, but GuardiOne’s diagnostic results confirmed that the equipment still had more than five years of life left, preventing unnecessary replacement work and expenses." CEO Yoon is also striving to expand the solution into other fields such as information and communication, logistics, paper manufacturing, and food.

CEO Yoon said, "If trust in equipment is increased through predictive insights provided by Industrial AI technology, on-site workers can focus more on high value-added tasks, maximizing the overall efficiency of the factory," adding, "The factory of the future can catch both efficiency and ESG (environment, social, and governance) goals."