Industrial AI & efficiency glossary
Plain-English definitions of the 36 terms behind industrial AI, predictive maintenance, energy management and decarbonization.
AI Vision Inspection (Machine Vision QC)AI vision inspection uses cameras and deep-learning models to automatically detect defects, verify assembly and read cod…Anomaly DetectionAnomaly detection uses statistics or machine learning to flag when equipment or process behaviour deviates from its norm…Carbon IntensityCarbon intensity is the amount of CO₂ emitted per unit of output — for example tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of product or per…CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism)CBAM is an EU measure that puts a carbon cost on certain imported goods — such as steel, cement, aluminium and fertilise…CHP / CogenerationCombined heat and power (CHP), or cogeneration, generates electricity and useful heat from a single fuel input, capturin…CMMSA CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System) is software that manages maintenance work — work orders, preventive …Condition MonitoringCondition monitoring is the continuous or periodic measurement of an asset's health indicators — vibration, temperature,…Digital TwinA digital twin is a living digital model of a physical asset or process, kept in sync with the real thing through live d…EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) is the broader discipline and software for managing an asset's entire lifecycle — from…Edge Computing (Industrial)Industrial edge computing processes data locally at or near the machine, rather than sending everything to the cloud. It…Emissivity (ε)Emissivity is how effectively a surface radiates heat, from 0 to 1 relative to a perfect black body. Polished bare metal…Energy Management System (EnMS / EMS)An energy management system is the combination of metering, software and processes used to monitor, control and continuo…EU ETSThe EU Emissions Trading System is a cap-and-trade scheme that puts a price on carbon for large emitters. The cap on tot…FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)FMEA is a structured method for identifying how a component or process can fail, the effects of each failure, and how se…Industrial DecarbonizationIndustrial decarbonization is the process of cutting carbon emissions from manufacturing and heavy industry — through en…Industrial Heat PumpAn industrial heat pump uses electricity to move heat from a lower temperature to a higher, useful one — upgrading waste…Industrial IoT (IIoT)The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the network of connected sensors, machines and systems in industrial setting…Industry 4.0Industry 4.0 is the fourth industrial revolution: connecting machines, sensors, data and analytics across the factory so…ISO 50001ISO 50001 is the international standard for energy management systems. It gives organisations a framework to establish, …MES (Manufacturing Execution System)A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) manages and tracks production on the shop floor in real time — work orders, mater…MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)MTBF is the average operating time between failures of a repairable asset. A higher MTBF means a more reliable machine. …MTTR (Mean Time To Repair)MTTR is the average time taken to repair a failed asset and return it to service, including diagnosis, repair and testin…OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)OEE is a standard metric for how effectively equipment is used, combining Availability × Performance × Quality into a si…OPC UAOPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is an open, secure, platform-independent standard for industr…Predictive Maintenance (PdM)Predictive maintenance uses sensor data and analytics to predict when equipment will fail, so maintenance happens just b…Preventive MaintenancePreventive maintenance services equipment on a fixed schedule — by time or usage — regardless of its actual condition, t…Process HistorianA process historian is a database optimised for storing large volumes of time-series data from industrial sensors and co…RCM (Reliability-Centred Maintenance)Reliability-centred maintenance is a structured method for deciding the most effective maintenance strategy for each ass…Remaining Useful Life (RUL)Remaining useful life is the estimated time an asset can keep operating before it fails or needs intervention. Predictiv…SCADASCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is the system that monitors and controls industrial processes in real t…Thermal Conductivity (λ)Thermal conductivity (lambda, λ) measures how readily a material conducts heat, in W/m·K. Lower λ means a better insulat…TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)Total Productive Maintenance is a methodology that involves operators in caring for their own equipment — cleaning, insp…U-value (Thermal Transmittance)The U-value is the rate of heat transfer through a structure per unit area and temperature difference, in W/m²·K. A lowe…Unplanned DowntimeUnplanned downtime is time a process or line is stopped unexpectedly due to equipment failure or faults. It is one of th…Vibration AnalysisVibration analysis measures the vibration signature of rotating equipment to detect faults such as imbalance, misalignme…Waste Heat RecoveryWaste heat recovery captures heat that would otherwise be rejected — from flue gas, exhaust, hot products or cooling str…