Mobility in Industry 4.0
Mobility is one of the key driving forces enabling companies to maximize their productivity.
If a production process runs according to the optimal plan smart production lines work in fully automated operation mode and operator’s intervention is not needed. However, in case of an exemption immediate, on-site human (operator) intervention is necessary. To make optimal decisions and take timely corrective actions to solve a problem, operator needs broad contextual information about physical objects involved in the production process - such as the production line and its components, equipment, devices and robots.
Apart from solving exemptions, there are other situations and events when operator needs to take a partial or full manual control of the whole production process or its phase. Typical examples are maintenance tasks and conflict resolution. Operator needs immediate, full, contextual information at the place where the event occurs. Usually there are several information sources available. Some of the information needed are available directly at the production line but many important information are stored in various back-end systems managing the production processes. Back-end information systems manage processes at a higher level (e.g. planning and processing of production contracts) and production lines execute real tasks and manage processes at a lower level.
The biggest challenge is to find a way how to provide operators with correct information at the right time and place and enable them to fulfill their tasks. It is what we call smart interaction (SI). Ubiquitous mobile devices integrated on-line with back-end systems are often the best solution. Information flow in a real production processes is very complex and changes rapidly. Therefore software applications running on mobile devices must be flexible in terms of user-friendliness, ability to run on various user interfaces and integrate seamlessly with systems and devices.
PROCE55 Mobile
PROCE55 Mobile is a highly efficient software tool available anytime, anywhere. Simple and intuitive applications running on mobile devices drive short response times and high productivity at the shop floor level and up.
PROCE55 Mobile expands the functionality of PROCE55 Applications and/or ERP back-ends to mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and special-purpose PDAs.
A typical operation process involves a variety of devices - mobile terminals for basic stock operation, smartphones for report submission and PCs for more complex operations demanding a large screen - e.g. planning or managing stock.
PROCE55 enables effective management of end-to-end processes by deploying several and most appropriate devices simultaneously. Screen designs and navigation are optimized for the actual device according to client’s needs.
PROCE55 Mobile technology and applications enable to control business processes in the back-end systems (e.g. ERP). The applications designed by PROCE55 Mobile can work even in off-line mode, without any connectivity.
PROCE55 Mobile applications can use their own databases running on the actual mobile devices capable of storing transactional data. This is a critical capability for operations without wifi or mobile data coverage (e.g. steel production halls, robot cages). In such cases, processes can continue without disruptions. Data are stored on the mobile device and synchronized with back-end systems when the connection has been renewed. Data consistency is ensured.
PROCE55 applications can connect with both standard and non-standard back-end systems using a variety of integration methods. PROCE55 Mobile solutions allow to execute business tasks anywhere (cloud and/or on-premise) and anytime (online or offline). Wireless data collection and transfer capabilities enable agile and efficient end-to-end material flow handling, modern production, maintenance, transport, logistics, distribution, services and other operation processes.