Case Study: From “Flying Blind” to Total Visibility: Digitizing Cosmetics Manufacturing with NCD and Ubidots

Absara is a premier contract manufacturer, with over 30 years of expertise in the personal care, cosmetics, and home care sectors. Since its founding in 1993, the company has established itself as a strategic partner for some of the world’s most recognizable consumer goods giants, including Unilever, Genomma Lab, and SC Johnson.

Operating strictly as a third-party manufacturer without its own consumer brands, Absara specializes in end-to-end production solutions. Their capabilities span the entire product lifecycle—from initial research and formula development to bulk manufacturing and final packaging. The facility produces a diverse portfolio of high-volume liquids and viscous products, including shampoos, conditioners, skin creams, fine fragrances, and liquid detergents.

For a high-volume cosmetics manufacturer, water levels, steam pressure, and compressed air are the lifeblood of production. However, relying on manual inspections left the facility “blind” for hours at a time, risking production halts and catastrophic equipment failure.

Challenge

Operating In the Dark

Before the digital transformation, the facility relied on a “run-to-failure” approach for its critical assets. The “Blind Spot”: Critical variables—Compressed Air, Boiler Temperature, and Water Tank Levels—were unmonitored.

Manual Inefficiency: Maintenance staff recorded tank levels manually on paper three times a day. This left 21+ hours of the day completely unmonitored.

The Consequence:

  • Production Stops: Air pressure drops went unnoticed until the line shut down.
  • Supply Crises: Water tanks would run dry unexpectedly, forcing the company to pay premium rates for emergency water trucks (pipas) to resume manufacturing.
  • Limited Data: Previous attempts with proprietary level sensors failed because data was locked in local apps, making remote monitoring impossible.

"We were essentially blind. We wouldn't know a boiler or compressor was failing until the line had already stopped. We needed a solution that would let us see the heartbeat of the factory from anywhere in the world"

Jorge Cortez, Plant Maintenance Manager

Solution

A Scalable, Wireless Ecosystem

The client needed a solution that was software agnostic, easy to install, and capable of measuring multiple variables (Temperature, Pressure, Level, OEE, 4-20mA) on a single network.

NCD Absara Case Study Type 108 Picture
Why NCD?

The client chose NCD io for its wireless and integration flexibility. Instead of running expensive cables to PLCs, they deployed a wireless Mesh network. This allowed them to integrate diverse sensors—from Tank Levels to OEE Piece Counters—into one unified ecosystem without monthly device fees.

The Tech Stack

Hardware: NCD Enterprise Wireless Sensors:

Gateway: NCD Enterprise IIoT Gateway.

Software Platform: Ubidots.

Implementation & Support:

  • Hardware Setup: Immediate. Sensors were mounted and paired to the gateway quickly.
  • Integration: Full visualization in Ubidots was achieved in roughly 2 weeks, thanks to dedicated support from NCD and Ubidots, allowing the team to customize alerts and dashboards.

Impact

The transition to real-time monitoring delivered immediate operational and financial wins.

1. Crisis Averted: The "PVC Pipe" Incident: The most significant win occurred shortly after installation in the Chilled Water system.
  • The Scenario: The system uses both steam and chilled water. An operator accidentally opened a steam valve into a PVC chilled water return line.
  • The Save: An NCD Temperature Sensor detected the spike immediately, triggering an alert to the manager’s phone.
  • The Value: The team shut the valve instantly. Without the sensor, the steam would have burst the PVC piping, causing significant infrastructure damage and extended downtime.
2. 100% Optimization of Inspection Routines
  • Manual tank inspections were eliminated completely.
  • Staff hours were redirected from “taking notes” to value-added maintenance tasks.
  • Emergency water truck costs were eliminated via better supply planning.
3. 80-90% Faster Response Time
  • The maintenance team moved from reacting to failures after they occurred to receiving instant notifications before critical thresholds were breached.
4. Rapid ROI
  • Because NCD devices require no monthly fees and the hardware prevented costly downtime immediately, the client estimates a Return on Investment (ROI) of just 2 to 3 weeks.

A Culture of Transparency

The success of the implementation has transcended the maintenance department:

  • Production & Planning: Now utilize OEE/Counter data to track hourly output.
  • Client Transparency: The manufacturer now shares real-time production data directly with their end-clients, building trust through data transparency.
Fast Facts

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Industry: Cosmetics Manufacturing.
Time to ROI: 2-3 Weeks.
Key Result: Prevented catastrophic piping failure (Steam vs. PVC).
Improvement: 90% reduction in Maintenance Response Time.
Hardware Used: NCD Enterprise Wireless Sensors (Temp, Pressure, Level, 4-20mA).

Whats Next?

"We have ownership of our data and our hardware. Now, we are building a predictive platform that tells us not just 'what is happening,' but 'what will happen next."

Jorge Cortez, Plant Maintenance Manager
Predictive Maintenance

Having mastered condition monitoring, the client is now expanding the NCD ecosystem to achieve full Predictive Maintenance.

  • Vibration Analysis: deploying NCD Gen 4 Vibration Sensors on all critical motors.
  • Electrical Health: Integrating Amperage sensors.
  • Usage Tracking: Monitoring run-hours to schedule maintenance based on actual usage rather than calendar dates.

Connect

Seeking next-generation IIoT solutions and support? Here are some next steps:

  • Contact us to talk to a NCD Technicial Support.
  • Visit our Blog Entries to learn about emerging trends.
  • Shop for solutions from NCD and our partners.

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