Whirlpool, one of the largest appliance manufacturers in the world, an industry leader with brands like Consul and Brastemp, implemented an advanced predictive maintenance strategy using Tractian’s real-time condition monitoring system. With smart vibration sensors and live machine health data, the team transitioned from reactive repairs to proactive decision-making based on actual asset condition. The result: greater reliability, fewer failures, and a smarter, more stable operation.
The Challenge
Reactive Culture
Maintenance tasks were largely triggered by failures, leading to high-cost corrective repairs and unexpected production downtime. Whirlpool needed a smarter approach, one that could shift the team’s mindset from reactive to proactive, backed by real-time data.
Inefficient Critical Asset Management
With hundreds of vibration points to track, manually managing asset health was inefficient and prone to oversight. Data was fragmented and difficult to act on quickly.
No Visibility or Prioritization
Without continuous monitoring, it was hard to prioritize work orders effectively. Maintenance teams were spending time and resources without knowing where the real risks were.
High Costs from Unexpected Failures
Unplanned breakdowns didn’t just stop production: they caused major equipment damage, requiring expensive and time-consuming repairs.
The Solution
With Tractian’s condition monitoring sensors installed on critical machines, Whirlpool centralized vibration data in one platform, giving their team real-time visibility across the entire operation.
Maintenance activities could now be prioritized based on actual failure risk and asset criticality, not guesswork. That meant faster decision-making, better resource allocation, and fewer wasted hours.
The system also reduced catastrophic failure costs by enabling earlier, smarter interventions before breakdowns occurred. And beyond the numbers, the biggest win was cultural: a complete shift from reactive firefighting to predictive maintenance rooted in continuous monitoring and actionable insights.
Results & Business Impact
Whirlpool’s operation became more predictable and resilient. Unplanned downtime dropped significantly, and productivity stabilized as machine availability rose.
With more precise, data-driven maintenance and a team empowered to act before failure hits, operational reliability reached new levels, unlocking a smarter future for industrial maintenance.
- $1M+ in avoided costs from preventing downtime and production losses through early interventions driven by Tractian insights
- 95% coverage of previously unmonitored vibration points, thanks to smart asset prioritization, automated monitoring, and upskilling of the maintenance team
- 85% insight validation rate, achieved by rigorously confirming predictive alerts, acting based on asset criticality, and improving communication and follow-through on corrective actions
