The world population is expected to grow from 7.6 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050. This boost will naturally result in an expansion of production for all industries—from food and beverage to construction and life sciences. More workers will be hired to support manufacturing operations.
At the same time, COVID-19 has brought many industrial operations to a screeching halt due to the need for extreme social distancing. Frontline operatives reporting to work have been expected to perform their duties with limited access to experienced mentors, resulting in a skills gap that desperately needs to be bridged. It’s an era of new safety procedures, risk assessments and contact tracing—if you want your operations running without interruption.
Innovapptive Inc., a Houston-based digital transformation provider, strives to connect machines, methods and workflows seamlessly with industrial managers, supervisors and workers through its patented Connected Worker Platform. The code-free app digitizes and integrates SAP, IBM Maximo and GIS operational data with 150+ prepackaged and reconfigurable work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists and compliance forms—streamlining asset management, maintenance and inventory processes to enhance enterprise resource planning (ERP).
In other words, Innovapptive allows organizations to instantly share information through a system of field-ready business applications in areas of operation including inspection, inventory management and plant maintenance. Office personnel can now gain visibility to critical field information in real-time, while field workers can view updated priorities to ensure that time-sensitive issues are addressed first. The end result is an upgrade in productivity, bringing in the next generation of industrialization.
“Using our patented tool, a plant manager or supervisor can digitally create or change a mission-critical form—such as a safety inspection form—on the fly via a desktop or mobile app in less than 30 minutes,” says Sundeep Ravande, Innovapptive’s co-founder and CEO.
RACE Dynamic Forms are a key component of Innovapptive’s Connected Workforce Platform, with practical applications including safety incident reports and maintenance checklists.
“Perhaps a maintenance checklist is missing a key field. With RACE, a super-user or citizen developer can quickly generate or revise any digital form and fully integrate it into an enterprise resource planning program, such as SAP,” Ravande explains. “No programming or database development skills are needed; it’s that easy to use. Once completed, the form is available for immediate use enterprise-wide. It can then be filled out and stored electronically by a supervisor or field worker using any mobile device, in online or offline mode, eliminating paper documents.”
The Connected Worker Platform converges different technologies, including cloud, mobile, web, chat, social, wearables, IoT and AI/ML. For example, the app can integrate with smart watches (such as the Apple Watch) to monitor the movement and health parameters of field workers. Smart glasses allow frontline workers to execute tasks with remote guidance from experts, while voice-enabled tools permit hands-free data entry in the field. Machine learning software enables auto-recognition of equipment, while barcoding automates data capture during inventory runs. The secure platform is even capable of providing users with both indoor and outdoor navigation.
Innovapptive is currently being used by asset-intensive organizations such as Mitsubishi and UNICEF. The app is also expediting the digital transformation of oil and gas companies, with clients including Shell, Hess and Dominion Energy.
It is estimated that only 30 percent of a plant technician’s time is spent on productive “wrench time” because of collaboration inefficiencies. For many oil and gas companies, using RACE to digitally complete forms has reduced errors inherent to manual data entry while improving the speed of record movement.
Innovapptive has accelerated response times in the completion of work orders. SOPs are now being executed with time, date and operator verification—with validated location tracking ensuring that required checks have been performed. The app gathers important oil and gas data such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, lube oil level and bearing vibration, while detecting off-nominal operating conditions and transferring the information in real-time to qualified decision-makers. The results encompass improved workforce capacity, safety and regulatory compliance.
“A Connected Warehouse Worker Platform is no longer a ‘nice-to-have,’” asserts Ravande. “It’s a must-have in the COVID-19 era. Such a platform enables frontline workers to get more done, in less time, at a lower cost, while practicing social distancing health and safety protocols. Mobile technology will make your workers and your organization more agile, efficient and competitive.”
To learn more about Innovapptive Inc., visit the website.