Troubleshooting’s Top Dog: Leviton’s Inform Technology
Providing real-time data on industrial conditions, Leviton connectors, interlocks, and switches with Inform technology help reduce costly downtime, optimize repairs, and minimize contractor callbacks.
In today’s fast-paced business landscape, manufacturing, warehouse, and other industrial settings rely on continuous power and ongoing functionality of their electrical equipment to remain competitive. But faults, disconnects, and power issues happen, and the water, dust, extreme temperatures, and other harsh conditions often associated with these workhorse environments can also impact operations, resulting in costly downtime and/or a lengthy process diagnosing breaks in the system.
Thankfully, downtime issues can be a thing of the past thanks to Leviton’s “Inform” -- a conditioning-monitoring technology that enables Leviton devices to provide real-time data to end users, improving safety, efficiency, and productivity.
According to Maria Acosta, Leviton’s Senior Director of Product Management, industrial facilities operate under a unique set of conditions relative to their commercial or residential counterparts.
“Industrial facilities of all types can be dirty, wet, hot or cold, and exposed to UV light, making contamination control critical, especially in food and beverage operations,” Acosta explained. “With their higher voltages and amperages, industrial facilities have very different power requirements than other types of facilities, creating greater concerns for efficiency and planned and unplanned downtime. And based on the heavy equipment they house as well as associated noise, line of sight issues, and other factors, these facilities are also subject to extensive safety requirements by OSHA, as well as by the FDA, USDA, and NSF International in the case of food and beverage-related operations.”
Because the stakes are high in these facilities and time is money, Leviton’s Inform technology is specially designed to help keep facility professionals and contractors in the know and operations running smoothly.
Built into many of Leviton’s pin-and-sleeve plug connectors, mechanical interlocks, and disconnect switches, “Inform’s ability to monitor local equipment provides real-time data that helps facility professionals manage their uptime and downtime better,” Acosta said.
Specifically, “indicator lights that are blinking or in the OFF position on Leviton devices equipped with Inform technology will immediately notify a facility professional of issues ranging from a power outage or voltage concern to loss of ground on machinery, the presence of high levels of liquid, condensation, or humidity inside the switch enclosure, an overheating situation, and other risks that can cause machinery failure, unsafe conditions, or unplanned downtime, enabling facility professionals to take immediate action to rectify these situations,” Acosta said. “And they can easily access this information remotely through a free Leviton app, either through a smartphone/Wi-Fi or a desktop computer or tablet.”
“Inform’s bright and intuitively colored LED indicator lights that are green when normal or else flash yellow or red are easy to see and act on, even by a less-experienced employee or in a noisy facility where an audible signal might go unheard,” Acosta continued. “Inform’s remote monitoring capability covers everything from one machine in a single facility to numerous devices across multiple facilities, and facility professionals can easily tie their Inform devices into an existing data management system through a Modbus system or the Leviton app for seamless visibility to all of their facility’s systems. Inform technology is additionally housed within water-tight enclosures and fully certified by NSF International, which tests to ensure that food and beverage products meet all standards for cleanliness.”
As many facility professionals know, troubleshooting a problem from scratch can take time, and some electrical issues or unsafe conditions can persist undetected before becoming full-blown problems. “With the added visual indication of information on liquid accumulation, enclosure temperature and humidity, line- and load-side voltage values, ground continuity, and more through multiple Inform switches positioned every few feet,” Acosta said, “you can identify a specific problem, exactly where it occurred, and prevent others from happening.”
A Money-Saving Solution
A game-changing innovation that was introduced several years ago, Leviton’s Inform technology won Plant Engineering Magazine’s prestigious “Product of the Year” Award in both 2020 and 2021 and has since been the premier choice of savvy distributors, contractors, and facility professionals nationwide.
“The manager of a food-manufacturing facility recently told us that Inform was a ‘godsend’ for their operations,” Acosta said. “They love the ability to learn of any issue immediately, especially in highly automated parts of their facility that they don’t visit regularly.”
“Leviton’s Inform technology provides valuable information to users and supports electrical contractors in a number of ways,” Acosta said.
Among them, “Leviton devices with Inform technology wire up exactly the same way as previous non-Inform versions, so contractors don’t need to learn anything new to install them, and contractors who support a facility’s operations can be given remote access to the real-time information from Inform devices through the ease of the Leviton app and receive immediate visibility to any issue,” she said. “Since Inform technology enables contractors to see the exact piece of equipment and problem involved, they’re able to bring only the specific tools they need rather than lugging an entire tool cart. Finally, access to Inform information is readily available through a free app (Leviton.com/Inform) on a contractor’s phone or laptop and they can easily code or categorize each Inform device so that they know exactly which one is involved.”
“Ultimately, Leviton devices with Inform technology help contractors respond to electrical issues quickly and precisely, minimize callbacks, and prevent potential issues, all while enabling contractors to deliver peace of mind to their industrial customers and differentiate themselves in the market,” Acosta said. “And contractors can always count on Leviton representatives to be there to address any questions or concerns they may have.”
For more information on Leviton’s Inform technology, visit Leviton.com/inform or contact your Leviton Sales Representative.