Not that long ago, the basic toolkit of most technicians and operators in manufacturing was a set of personal protective equipment such as safety shoes and safety glasses, a pencil and a toolbox with job-specific instruments. When facing a critical or complex problem at work, they had to rely on paper-based manuals and procedures or try to call a colleague. To cope with these operational challenges, many manufacturing companies are nowadays looking for ways to connect their frontline workers.
The Covid-19 pandemic has fastened this evolution. More than any other form of digital transformation, manufacturers are looking to outfit their frontline workers with the tools they need to stay safe and work effectively.
The Connected Worker
When you think of a connected worker in manufacturing, what comes to mind? Is it an operator? A field technician? A process supervisor? You probably thought of some kind of front-line worker. You have different types of connected workers.
Operators: Connected operators mostly operate within the context of the production facility or plant. They can be connected and guided with digital work instructions, inline quality monitoring with IoT, asset sensors, performance dashboard etc.
Field workers: Field technicians have a set of unique needs. They often are away from the production facility and colleagues to rely upon. Their work can be immensely complicated and performed under harsh conditions (high above the ground, cold environments, confined space, dangerous situations).
Executives, supervisors: Connected workers and processes generate data. Executives might not be constantly present on the shop floor. But they should have access to those data to drive strategy and make more informed decisions.
Connected workers’ tools
The cloud and platform-as-a-service solutions give frontline workers control over their processes and guide them for a “right-first-time” execution. Smart phones, tablets and smart glasses connect them wherever, whenever.
With real-time accurate information, the connected operators and technicians work safer and smarter.
This great video by our partner PWC perfectly explains the “connected worker” concept, solutions and benefits.
