Digital Transformation of Howden Test Studio

The upgraded test facility in our screw compressor manufacturing facility in Renfrew, Scotland, has transformed the equipment testing experience for our customers.

Equipment testing is an essential part of purchasing a Howden compressor. Many of our customers observe the compressor testing by travelling to our facility, from all over the world, to validate the performance and reliability of their product.

Remote testing

The introduction of the new test studio allows the customers to witness the test of their equipment remotely, from anywhere in the world.

The new test studio is equipped with live camera feeds and live trending screens showing the data in real-time, directly from the test bed. All of this data can be accessed on any smart device given there is an internet connection.

Providing our customers with the option of remote testing eliminates the requirement to travel, reducing time and cost commitments, making the testing experience more convenient.

Optimising equipment performance

The data coming directly from the test bed is sent to our Howden Uptime portal, where the live data is compared against the expected performance data, using our unique digital twin model.

The data gathered using Howden Uptime is now available for analysis in the future. This supports the improvement of engineering design data and product selection software, to bring the product performance closer to the optimum operational efficiency point.

Transforming the test experience with Augmented Reality

Utilising state-of-the-art Augmented Reality (AR) technology allows for a truly transformative test experience. The Test Engineer will complete the live test whilst wearing a Microsoft HoloLens device. On the live video feed, the customer will watch the live test and with the addition of AR, the real-time data values will be augmented on top on the equipment. This provides the customer with the live test and the test values, all available on one screen