Nowadays manufacturing ICT platforms provide a number of useful tools, including sensors', wireless networks, mobile devices, MES, ERP and information management systems, support shop-floor and back-office personnel in a series of activities. However, there is a long way to go before the huge amount of information gathered and generated by such ICT systems is presented in a manner that can truly speed up production processes, enable immediate reaction to issues and shortcomings.
- Information distribution usually neglects different user roles in a typical production facility. The information source is not aware of the role of the information receiver and thus fails at delivering the required subset.
- In many cases information infrastructure fails to successfully aggregate and manage data from factory-wide sensor networks as well as from various data sources such as MES or ERP, analyse such data and deliver it in a context-based manner to different users.
- Cognitive load, especially of shop-floor operators working under harsh conditions, is not properly addressed during information distributing.
- User Interfaces are often too complex and require much too effort to follow and use effectively either in harsh shop-floor environment or in back-office.
Sense&React project envisages overcoming the above mentioned issues via:
- The use of customised, role-specific user interfaces provided through mobile devices in order to support the shop-floor personnel with the adequate amount of information also considering the cognitive load when performing certain operations.
- The development of new information structures and information flow approaches so as to optimise the load of information presented to the different users at the shop-floor.
- Development and application of factory-wide optimization methods that utilize real-time data, such as personnel, asset or part location data in order to optimize production performance, energy efficiency and safety.