Introduction of a digital worker assistance system

The goals were divided into following three sections.

• The first goal was to support both unskilled and experienced employees in carrying out set-up processes in order to enable high quality and efficiency. In addition, set-up processes should be standardised across all employees and production sites and should also be able to be continuously optimised. The aim is to develop the simplicity of today's app applications in order to make the work process easier for employees and develop a sharing spirit.

• The second goal was to enable employees on manufacturing shop-floor to effectively share information with maintenance or concerned personnel within the organisation, so that necessary actions shall be taken within appropriate timeline in order to reduce equipment downtime. The information such as current status, priority and responsible person for the failures needs to be shared with maintenance department flawlessly. The aim is to develop the simplicity in today's app applications in order to make the failure-management process easier for employees.

• The third goal was to digitalise the shift handover process, simplify the paper-based process and create the basis for digitised documentation, so that day-to-day manufacturing operations can be optimised through further processing of such documents. The challenge here is that the input process should not be more time-consuming for the employee than before. The information from the shift handover documents should not only be available locally (e.g., in the foreman's office), but should also be retrievable from a database at any workstation. Additionally, “Digitized Shift handover on Manufacturing Floor” helps in achieving more sustainable processes by reducing CO2 emissions. The use of electronic archives helps to save resources and reduce environmental impact.

A tablet is to be used as the basis for the implementation of the prototypes for which a specific app is to be developed and programmed. The technologies (user interface, databases) and interfaces (Ethernet, WLAN, MQTT, OPC, QR codes) familiar from the consumer sector enable networking between the production environment and the IT company structure.

There were three prototypes developed to adress the three goals mentioned before and for three different use-cases in our digital assistance system: 

1. Assisted Commissioning

2. Process Optimisation through Efficient Failure-management

3. Digitised Shift-handover Document

The prototypes are used in information events such as workshops and lab tours. Interested participants from SMEs who would like to implement the prototype in their organisations will be able to access low‐threshold testing opportunities to learn about and become familiar with the prototype in a practical manner.

The prototypes were developed by following the steps below:

• Development of an intuitive UI for the visualisation of a setup process.

• Integration and visualisation of different data formats (PDF, XLSX, photos, videos, scans).

• Organisation and ambiguous assignment of set‐up instructions (tutorials) to specific machines, tools, locations (e.g., machine hall) and products.

• Development of a workflow for the simple creation of set‐up instructions.

• Development of a workflow for transferring existing company documents.

• Development of feedback and revision loops.

• Provision of all set‐up instructions at all suitable workstations.

• Programming the app application.

• Programming the server backend, the databases and the database connectionBackend.

• Organisation and ambiguous assignment of failures (requests) to specific machines and locations (e.g., machine hall).

• Development of a workflow for providing summary of information on failures at machines, locations and in entire manufacturing floor.

• Establishment of feedback, evaluation, and revision loops.

Set-up processes are standardised across all employees and production sites and are also available for continuous optimisation. This has made the work process easier for employees. The transition away from paper-based setup documentation has begun, reducing redundancy.

Proper communication channels have been established among different departments to transfer failure situations from manufacturing floor to respective departments and possible solutions to manufacturing floor. This is reducing equipment downtime. In summary: Communication between production and maintenance has become more efficient, reducing misunderstandings and delays. 

Shift handover document and documentation of other events are digitalised while keeping time-consumed by the process unchanged or faster than before. The groundwork for a fully digital shift handover process has been laid, contributing to more sustainable manufacturing operations.

The transition from paper-based processes to digital workflows has started, reducing duplication of work. Relevant information is now centralised in the app, always up to date and accessible to all necessary stakeholders.