Everyone is banking on predictive maintenance and hoping to stay ahead of critical failures in mining, off-highway and processing applications. Bednarchuk sees predictive maintenance, sensors and IIoT taking a much larger role in gearbox applications. DBS has their own software for predictive maintenance, known as GearWatch. The software ensures the gearbox is running effectively and will warn the customer if something is not working correctly, signs of deterioration, etc. It measures, records and analyses data, reporting changes in measured parameters in real time, 24/7 via the internet. Not only does it measure changes within the gearbox, but it can also monitor a full range of equipment including motors, hydraulic systems and bearings. Real time information transmission enables quick recognition of problems, meaning fast corrective action is taken before downtime occurs. The system is constantly observing process parameters and equipment operation online. Labor shortage is everywhere. The future of gearbox production is going to be customers looking at drop-ins more than anything else, according to Bednarchuk. “They want to eliminate the work onsite due to the lack of time, knowledge and available engineering expertise. This is the direction the industry is heading. These drop-in units where everything has been rebuilt and they’re simply plug and play. The customer can install the unit and not worry about it.”