The factory for the future: incorporating product variation in the production process

The answer to this question is twofold. First, there is the physical level. Robots are already supporting people for a number of years by taking over heavy, repetitive tasks. However, so far both were strictly separated from one another by fencing or a light barrier. When using cobots, or collaborative robots, operator and robot work together: the robot responds to the voice or touch of the operator and supports him where needed. Cobots are safe, smart and also easy to programme.

Secondly, and maybe even more important, there is the cognitive level to consider. A large variety of products inevitably means that in a traditional production environment the operator should set to work with continuously changing instructions. The challenge here is to provide the operator with the right information, in the right format and at the right time, a challenge that so far standard procedures have hardly been capable of. That is why new technologies are being introduced on the shop floor. In the factory for the future, Smart Wearables have an important part to play. Take for instance AR-glasses. These ensure that the operator can easily collect the right parts for assembling highly variable products. The glasses (literally) show what he must put in his kitting kit. This significantly reduces the error margin. Another benefit is that the operator no longer needs to consult paper instructions time and again.

Another example of support through digital technologies are digital work instructions on a tablet. A 360° connection between the central management system, the operator, the production unit and the final product makes sure that these instructions are geared to the operator in question. If he is more experienced, he will receive less instructions. If he repeatedly makes the same error, extra attention will be paid to this.

In other words, the operator in the factory for the future will become tomorrow’s information worker.