A New Technology at the Fore of the Factory Floor…

WHILE IMPROVEMENTS IN technology have undoubtedly had a great impact in manufacturing plants and factories over the years, it could be argued that certain aspects have stagnated over time.

Major advances in machinery, computers and robotics are all largely limited to the actual means of production, the intermediary tools operated by people to produce goods.

While advances in these resources have improved qualities and quantities in manufacturing processes, in themselves they do not consider the single most important resource – the human resource.

What has been lacking is a technological focus on ways to definitively monitor and improve the productivity and output of employees – both as an aggregated resource over time, and in actual real-time of each individual.

Operational reviews can result in ways to improve productivity with employee-hours vs production output as a major focus.

However, this approach often involves a ‘put a line through it’ mentality from auditors which focusses on reducing costs to improve the profit ratio.

This approach does not optimize productivity to a point where maximum production capacity is achieved relative to all available resources.

And the wellbeing and safety of employees has never being more important in the modern world where employee rights, union pressures and legislative frameworks have never been more prominent since the dawn of the industrial revolution itself.

A new AI-driven technology is now available to manufacturing plant factory managers and administrators, that can achieve this elusive balance of perfection between production capacity, costs, and profits.

That Technology is Foresense.

Foresense Technologies is an industry leader in the collection of presence data and the analysis of how people act – and interact – on-site in real world settings to provide real- time analytics of foot traffic inside and around any physical location.

In a similar way to how behavioural data is utilised online through careful analysis of aspects such as dwell time,session duration, and return visitations, the Foresense platform collects data allowing accessibility in real time so highly-informed, proactive decisions can be executed as trends are actually emerging.

Foresense data collection is intelligently driven by integration between proprietary sensors and employee smartphones or other on-person technology such as smart ID cards or wearable bracelet technology.

This data is easily accessible through the online portal or dashboard via laptop, PC tablet or smartphone.

In this way, the Foresense platform offers an AIpowered solution to gain an unprecedented level of insight into the flow and movements of employees as they move across the floor and interact with facilities and equipment.

Because the platform is accessible in real-time, this data can be used to improve workflow and productivity on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour or even minute-by-minute basis.

As a complete real-time journey mapping solution, individual employee data such as total time spent on site, and the breakdown of time spent at each different area is collected.

No longer is productivity review limited to monthly, quarterly or annual reports.

As a complete real-time journey mapping solution, individual employee data such as total time spent on site, and the breakdown of time spent at each different area is collected.

This offers a revolutionary new way to guide commercially based decisions with more detailed, quantifiable data to improve operational KPIs and efficiencies, optimise facility location, layout and design and staffing levels across peak periods.

Not only can the technology track and trace employee movements across different areas on the floor, it can precisely break down workplace flow from site arrival, through to preparation times and actual work commencement to gain behavioural insight and decrease waiting and downtime.

Foresense can accurately log arrival and departure times or shift commencement and cessation data and precisely monitor mealtime, break and restroom visit durations for individual employees.

The platform even monitors time spent working to ensure adequate breaks are taken for employee wellbeing, generating personal alerts to comply with appropriate workplace regulatory frameworks.

Foresense also assists in commercially based decisionmaking by identifying areas where employee demand for equipment exceeds available supply, to make cases for the purchase of new equipment or even site expansion and the construction of new facilities.

Now any decisions to invest in expensive new machinery or to expand the workforce are fully justified with the power of AI to project production volume and profit exponentials.

The technology can even complement existing security surveillance systems.

The platform detects loitering, erratic behaviour and entry to restricted access areas, alerting managers in real time.

The technology can also monitor personal safety. For example, a person may have stopped moving from building exit points to the carpark, or may have been in the restroom for an excessive amount of time, indicating illness, collapse or injury.

As we learn to live with COVID, Foresense can complement existing digital tools to monitor and log employees as they move across the work floor to assist contact tracers and keep everyone safer. In this way it can be used to control the number of people gathering in any particular area to address people density regulations and overall numbers on premises.

It can also identify employees who have not recently received negative COVID test results or vaccination status where such laws have been introduced.

With highly specific information readily at hand Foresense Technology determines data driven actions to maximise production capacity and the impact of most important resource in any operation; the human resource.

Constantly monitor and improve operations and safety in any manufacturing plant or factory with Foresense Technologies.