Reliability engineering has changed significantly in recent decades with increasing automation, artificial intelligence and the ability to collect data. And South Australian-based French subsidiary PREDICT Australia is perfectly-placed to help businesses optimize machinery maintenance and equipment usage, across a range of industries.

As one of the first French defence industry companies to establish operations in Adelaide after the Federal Government awarded the future submarines contract to Naval Group, PREDICT has steadily grown its expertise in both engineering and in data science.

The business, based at Lot 14, develops and implements digital maintenance software solutions that can accurately predict future mechanical failures up to three to six months in advance, in a range of industries.

Simply put, by helping a business better understand its mechanical assets, they will be better able to manage those machines and understand what is happening to them by using the data they harness. This enables them to predict when faults could occur, when equipment is ready to undergo maintenance, and how they can optimise performance.

PREDICT’s Cory Pritchard, who is a Project Engineer and specialises in Mining and Industrial Processes, said the team was comprised of both engineers and data scientists, and it was the only business of its kind in South Australia.

“We’re not just a data company, we’re not just going through data and using only artificial intelligence to find out what’s happening, we understand the equipment, we understand how it works,” Mr Pritchard said. “We’re not just working with people who understand ones and zeros, we understand pumps and motors and how equipment works.”

As an example of how PREDICT works, its team recently worked with a mining company which used large gas heaters as part of its operations. By analysing the gas heater’s data, PREDICT was able to ascertain that certain functions could be optimised, and where and when it could malfunction. The analysis saved the company close to $500,000 by isolating the problem and understanding that it needed be fixed quickly. Conversely, if a piece of equipment needed to be shut down, PREDICT could advise on how quickly it could be shut down, how long it could be kept running and how long that shut down would need to be.

For PREDICT, South Australia has been an ideal location to establish its Australian base, with diverse industries from shipbuilding to defence technologies and aviation – the energy and mining sectors, advanced manufacturing and three major universities. It also has a growing ecosystem of start-ups and is growing its knowledge economy.

PREDICT has been selected to be part of CORE Start, which supports innovative start-ups making changes in mining, energy, resources, defence and space industries.

Mr Pritchard said CORE Start created many opportunities for PREDICT, including mentoring and advice on scaling up, along with providing networking opportunities and access to and potential collaborations with businesses in the industries it specializes in.

Do you think your business could benefit from a CORE Start residency? We are currently recruiting for our February 2021 round - find out how to apply HERE