The digital transformation has begun

Published on in Digitalization, Industry, Logistics of the future, Technology
4 minutes reading time

The requirements placed on production facilities today are immense. Costs should be cut, but not at the expense of productivity, which should be increased. At the same time, the required quality standards should be achieved.

KNAPP offers a range of different solutions for digitalizing the production industry. One of them is the ivii.smartdesk, a state-of-the-art work station for digitalizing manual processes. Work at the ivii.smartdesk involves a zero-error strategy and quality check for production, goods-in and goods-out procedures. What’s more, this work station is a great tool to mitigate the shortage of qualified personnel as it digitizes expert knowledge.

ivii.smartdesk wins Best Product of 2021 award at LogiMAT

This year, the perhaps most sought after prize in the intralogistics sector was again awarded during the LogiMAT.digital trade show. The prize is awarded to the winners by an independent jury, which includes representatives from business, science and the media. Today, we can proudly announce that our cutting-edge ivii.smartdesk work station has been selected as the best product of 2021.

Award ceremony "best Product LogiMAT 2021"
ivii.smartdesk with the award "best Product LogiMAT 2021"

What is the ivii.smartdesk and what’s special about this work station?

The ivii.smartdesk serves as an assembly work station in production and is equipped with an image recognition and processing system. All assembly work is supported by software. The work station has an integrated real-time feedback system, which monitors every work step. This provides a zero-error strategy and end-to-end traceability for the assembly process. The ivii.smartdesk also plays an essential role in the production process controlled by KiSoft: The intelligent KiSoft software controls the supply of materials to the ivii.smartdesk and the conveyance of the products to other areas.

The ivii.smartdesk work station for assembly work.
The ivii.smartdesk work station for assembly work.

How can the ivii.smartdesk be used in production?

The image recognition and image processing system records all the components required for assembly. Each work step is checked and validated. The next work step is only possible when the image processing system has confirmed the previous one as “OK”. This way, all components are assembled in the right sequence and quality. Thanks to the real-time feedback system, employees receive immediate feedback on the quality of the work step.

Monitors provide an optimal overview of the work in progress at the assembly work station. While one of the monitors displays how the product is supposed to look – the other monitor displays the actual camera image. The components need to be assembled so that the theoretical and actual images match. As soon as the assembly process has been completed, the employee presses a button to begin the final check by the feedback system. One of the monitors shows the result to the employee. Green means that everything is OK, while red indicates that an error has occurred. The possible error is displayed on the monitor and can be corrected immediately by the employee. This is how error-free production becomes a reality.

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Pankl Racing Systems AG in Kapfenberg, Austria, has also opted for cutting-edge image processing to ensure quality in the assembling process.

The ivii.smartdesk approach is incredibly motivating for our employees. The interaction with the system is almost playful. Our employees don’t view the feedback system as surveillance, but see it as a welcome support for achieving the best possible quality in their work within the quickest possible time in order to attain our goals.

Christoph Prattes
COO Pankl Racing AG

The ivii.smartdesk is the best choice – including for goods-in and goods-out

In the goods-in area, the ivii.smartdesk is used to check whether all the goods have been delivered to the warehouse in the correct quantities and quality. The delivery is documented and saved for the burden of proof later on. This not only saves time, but also lowers costs for returned goods.

The ivii.smartdesk is also suitable for the goods-out procedure. In the goods-out area, the work station is used to check whether the right products are in the right container in the right quantity and quality. This application is perfectly suited for OEM suppliers in the automotive sector as the requirements in this industry are particularly high.

New feature! Recognizing items without barcodes
The ivii.smartdesk recognizes items in a split second without a conventional identifier such as a barcode. The ivii.smartdesk simply compares the item on the desk to data it has on characteristics for that item. This eliminates lengthy searches for an item’s identity in goods-in and goods-out, as well as for returns. With the article number being displayed, the employee can rapidly and correctly match the items. Employees can also easily and accurately enter new items in the system.

In the digital age, companies are constantly striving to balance quality, performance and costs. Jerich International has enhanced their picking work stations with image processing technology by ivii – all while keeping the focus on the person.

Process optimization has clearly progressed. We were able to reduce the six eyes principle to a two eyes principle. The employees can now focus on different activities in the process for which up to now no resources have been available. The table also looks great! Working with new technologies motivates our employees.

Juliane Jerich
Jerich International
Jerich International
Interview Ferk, Jerich regarding ivii.smartdesk

With quality and safety a top priority at Jerich International, opting for the ivii.smartdesk made all the sense in the world.

Humans remain the epicenter of action

The ivii.smartdesk supports workers in their day-to-day work. Thanks to the innovative work station, employees work confidently, knowing that they’re not making errors that are a hassle to correct later on. At the same time, the playful approach to the work steps – gamification – motivates employees, helping to establish a learning organization and increased employee satisfaction.

The ivii.smartdesk in action at Pankl Racing Systems AG.
The ivii.smartdesk in action at Pankl Racing Systems AG.

Why is the ivii.smartdesk the ideal choice?

When it comes to meeting and even exceeding current standards in quality, the ivii.smartdesk is the right solution. The innovative technology ensures error-free processes in goods-in and goods-out, thereby reducing costs for returns and the need to correct errors – all while increasing employee satisfaction. The work station also enables new employees to perform well right  away, helping to cover the shortage of qualified personnel.

With the ivii.smartdesk, manual processes are digitalized so that quality, performance and safety are all efficiently increased.

  • Highest quality: The ivii.smartdesk provides employees with real-time feedback on the correctness and quality of each work step. The ivii.smartdesk allows the employee to work confidently and enjoy the process, because errors are avoided. What’s more, the work processes are all seamlessly documented, which minimizes return costs and the need to correct errors.
  • Top performance: New employees can be trained quickly and easily and are almost immediately able to carry out work steps independently, at highest performance and without errors. Each work step is validated and checked for correctness within milliseconds.
  • Investment security: The heart of the technology is the image processing software. The customers can themselves create and modify new work steps and characteristics for identification. Thanks to the comprehensive documentation, the obligation to produce proof can be easily fulfilled. Another beneficial aspect of the work station is that the findings of one installation can be passed on to others.

The advantages of the ivii.smartdesk at a glance:

  • Fast and easy item identification
  • No risk of confusing items
  • Less time spent looking for items
  • Higher productivity
  • Maximum quality at highest performance
  • Employee satisfaction is increased
  • Inspection and work instructions are up-to-date and observed at all times
  • New employees learn processes faster
  • Optimized decision support based on evaluations, statistics and key figures
  • Documentation obligation is met
  • Reduction of return costs and need to correct errors

Find out more about ivii here.