GM Monitors Factory Robots via Internet to Cut Downtime

General Motors Co. has linked about 25% of its 30,000 manufacturing robots via the internet to help anticipate breakdowns and maximize output, Bloomberg News reports.

Mark Franks, who heads GM’s global automation, tells an International Federation of Robotics conference in Chicago that the move has so far identified 100 potential failures by analyzing data the robots upload to the cloud.

GM is then able to schedule preventative maintenance to minimize production downtime. Frank says the process has delivered unspecified but “significant” cost savings.

The IFR says carmakers installed 17,600 robots last year, according to Bloomberg. That compares with 5,100 robots for electronics producers and 1,900 for metal processors.