Communication and Maintenance for the Digital Factory

Aim and goal

The purposse of the project is to ensure that the manufacturing and processing industry in Sweden can take advantage of the rapid advances in informationtechnology and IoT and ensure faster adaptation through digitization. In the project, we will define, develop and verify solutions that can reduce unplanned downtime, improve human communication in a production environment, and demonstrate how financial benefits from investments for IoT-based maintenance can be calculated.

Challenge

Previous studies show inefficiencies due to lack of communication, information management, collection and transmission, and inadequate use of modern technology in the operators, maintenance staff and suppliers' working methods.

Solution

In order to reduce unplanned downtime, we investigate how direct access to information (for operators and service technicians) can affects the outcome. We also investigate how new use of ICT can improve human communication in a production environment and are going to develop a basis for calculations showing possible financial benefits from investments for IoT based maintenance, where the work is performed by technicians.

The project will utilize technology from three different areas: consumer and gaming industries (e.g. Hololens from Microsoft), from data science (e.g. analytics for decision support), and from new knowledge and technology within communication science (e.g. social media, Youtube channels, expert forums).

Effect

The project contributes to the global sustainability goal "Sustainable Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure" by working for inclusive industrialization, contributing with knowledge that can improves production, service and maintenance, and enhances corporate understanding of digital technology opportunities.