What is behind the slogan 'Industry 4.0'? The answer is the powerful digitisation of industry, without which factories will not be able to do without in a while. In fact, they will have no chance for a competitive advantage, especially now in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the term "time is money" takes on a completely new dimension. And only providers of technology based on robust - but above all accurate and fast - analysis of qualitative data will be able to give their contractors a podium finish in the battle for customers.
How do we know this?
Industry 4.0 at Indoorway has been present since the beginning of our journey. We carefully analyse the solutions brought by the digital revolution. Naturally, using the latest technologies and available tools for this, i.e. - the Internet, cloud computing capabilities, collecting and analysing large amounts of complex Big Data, artificial intelligence, VR or the Internet of Things. Solutions resulting from the latter, i.e. the Internet of Things, allow for the creation of completely new business models. They are closely integrated with Industry 4.0 methods, creating new added value, which translates into optimising the entire supply chain - from production and warehouse management to transporting goods to customers. A good example is our intelligent location sensor, which collects and processes high-quality data on the production process and the movement of employees and transport trucks in the cloud. By combining expert skills, knowledge and proven design practices, we create a powerful and comprehensive system to solve the most complex challenges. If we add real traffic data, we make smart decisions to improve process efficiency, better allocate resources and reduce waste, and data-driven management becomes the gold standard for your business.
Real data for success
Our experience in implementing positioning and motion analysis systems in over 25 manufacturing plants working with Indoorway clients such as: Lotte Wedel, Whirlpool, GKN Driveline,Michelin, Cetes Cosmetics, shows that knowledge of the current location of physical assets is often the missing link to automate real-time data collection or improve process efficiency. In response to this type of demand, we have created a proprietary and unique system on the Polish market based on ultra-wideband technology (UWB). The Indoorway system is composed not only of IoT sensors that only acquire data, but also performs advanced analysis in the cloud that can provide insight into the processes occurring in manufacturing companies and distribution centres. The solution aims to improve customer service and satisfaction without delving into the technology itself, respecting the customer's time during its end-to-end implementation. This is a whole new quality of management and a big step towards the digital transformation of production facilities. Indoorway's technology will therefore improve the work of companies that base their production on big data analytics or are moving in that direction.
Based also on the experience of interviews and conversations with more than a hundred companies, Indoorway's solution thus effectively replaces ineffective methods of manual process performance measurement, which are based on observations and provide only data that is largely of quite low quality. Automatic measurement, on the other hand, makes it possible to accurately determine the scale of the problem. To give you an example - in one company where we performed an analysis, the data showed that after 6 p.m., when most managers left work, the efficiency of internal transport fell by up to 37 percent. In addition, based on the same data analysis, it was possible to reduce a lot of process waste and unplanned production downtime. Without such accurate data, this would have been impossible. According to Indoorway's experience, simply implementing and monitoring a standard internal transport route can increase production efficiency by 10-30 per cent.
Access control supports security
To manage machinery and people even more effectively, the Indoorway system can also be linked to other system solutions. For example, if you also want to focus on maintaining control over what is happening in the factory, the Indoorway system can be integrated via a web service interface with a Nedap system that supports this type of solution. The Nedap system will then respond to threats and allow you to strategically manage security by controlling access or locking out areas where individual employees or contractors should not enter.
This is an excellent solution for industries where access control is important to protect people, the environment and manage risks that affect company profits. In this case, the integration of two systems - Nedap access control and Indoorway's RTLS system - enables access rights to be managed and allocates resources to selected areas within an industrial facility based on real-time location and assigned tasks. This works so that, for example, when a forklift equipped with Indoorway's locator approaches a specific door (i.e. enters the active area where the door is opened), Nedap's access control, through integration with the WMS/ERP system, will decide to grant access in real time and the traffic lights will separately notify the operator whether he has reached the correct position. By automating the flow of information and integrating Indoorway's location with production and access control systems, this will completely eliminate.
Using UWB technology, we know the exact location of each monitored asset in real time because each asset has a locator with a unique ID number, which is assigned by the administrator to objects such as trolleys, vehicles, or to individual employees. Indoorway's software creates virtual areas which are linked by appropriate algorithms and permissions are stored in the access control system.
Integrating the two systems thus solves the problem of process control - it allows you to determine whether the right raw material or semi-finished product has arrived at the right location and whether there is an error that could lead to production being halted until the contamination is removed. This type of solution can also better protect employee and workplace safety.
Summary
The example shown above of integrating Indoorway with Nedap's access control system, effectively reduces errors, improves production quality and efficiency, reduces waste, optimises team and manager/leader time and creates a safer workplace.
Want to know more? Visit the Indoorway solution page and see where the technology for asset movement location and process monitoring is performing well, or email us at indoorway@aiut.com.