ASSET MANAGEMENT

THROUGH WEARABLE

TECHNOLOGY HOW AND WHERE WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED FOR ASSET

MANAGEMENT AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR THEIR USE

CHET JOHNSON

LEAD STRATEGIC BUSINESS CONSULTANT

WHAT IS WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY AND WHY CARE?

• Any electronic product that can be worn on the body, either as an accessory or as part of material used in clothing.

• A major feature of wearable technology is its ability to connect to the Internet

• Growth expected to triple this year from last

• Currently being used in the Healthcare, Fitness, Airline, Warehousing, Logistics, Operations and Military industries

• CIO magazine devoted an entire special edition for its discussion

WEARABLE PREDICTIONS • Sales jump from 2014 ($22M) to 2018 ($135M)

• 14x 2013 sales in 2018

• Smartwatches >50% of sales in 2018

• 50% of sales to devices that enhance user experience in 2018

• 250M devices in use by 2018

• Gartner predicts that wearables could help personnel diagnose and repair problems more quickly, saving up to $1 billion annually

• PwC’s 2015 CEO survey, mobility is one of the top three technology priorities

WHAT IS THE VALUE TO THE ENTERPRISE?PROVIDES INFORMATION…• Monitor - the condition of the user

• Remote Guidance - an employee can show a problem via live video feed to an expert

• Instruct - the user in how to complete tasks

• Virtual Training - wearers are immersed into a training scenario without leaving their workstation

• Augmented Training - wearers are provided training while performing their work

• Navigation – devices can show forklift drivers the most efficient route to their next assignment, as well as the location of other forklift trucks for collision avoidance

• Warehouse Picking – augmented reality glasses can highlight pick locations, the quantity to pick, and an image of what they should be picking from that location

WHAT IS THE VALUE TO THE ENTERPRISE?DISRUPTIVE, IN A GOOD WAY…

Hands-free makes wearables disruptive to business• Time savings; Field service 5%, Logistics 30-50%

• Mobility

• Information readily available

• Reduce walking distance

• Reduced transactional errors; Field service 17%, Logistics 20%

WHAT IS THE VALUE TO THE ENTERPRISE?SUPPORTS LEAN OPERATIONS…All seven ‘wastes of lean operations’ can be positively effected through wearable technology • Transport: moving material and goods that are not needed

• Inventory: consuming material that does not directly fulfil the need

• Motion: complicated or difficult motion that is not necessary

• Waiting: idle time created by other inefficiencies

• Over-Processing: performing more work than necessary to accomplish the task

• Over-production: production exceeds requirements of the task

• Defects: reduce errors in the task

WHAT IS THE VALUE TO THE ENTERPRISE?PERSONNEL SAFETY, A NEW FRONTIER…• Chemical sensors

• Temperature sensors

• RTLS (Real Time Locating System)

• High voltage sensors

• Accident condition monitors (hard hats, safety vest, gloves, boots)

• Warn of impending danger

• Lifting sensors

• Human Biometrics

SMARTGLASSES: AUGMENTED VS VIRTUALWHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?Virtual Reality

• User has no sense of normal reality and is isolated from the real world

• Cannot be used in an operational setting due to surroundings unawareness

• Can be extremely useful for training scenarios

Augmented Reality

• The blending of virtual reality with real life

• Provides additional information to users existing reality

• Provides the ability to interact with virtual contents in the real world

• Supplements user with information to aid in completing tasks

• Compatible with operational activities

WEARABLE CHALLENGES

• Connecting to your database… the software

• Memory

• CPU speed

• Battery life

• Comfort of wear… user acceptance

HARDWARE CONSIDERATIONS

• Operating systems

• Memory, Processor speed

• Battery life

• Connectivity options• Network Wi-Fi

• Bluetooth

• Cellular

TYPES OF WEARABLESSMARTGLASSES…Considerations• Wearability

• User prescription needs

• Weight

• Eye fatigue

• Blind spots

• Distraction

• Screen size, limited real-estate

• Limited functionality

• Typically requires additional backend device for connectivity

Considerations

• Wearability, weight

• Screen size

• Additional scanner device needed if barcoding used

TYPES OF WEARABLESWEARABLE COMPUTERS…

TYPES OF WEARABLESSMARTWATCHES…

Considerations• Wearability

• Screen size, limited real-estate

• Limited functionality

• Typically requires additional backend device for connectivity

• Additional scanner needed if barcoding used

TYPES OF WEARABLESHAND SCANNERS…

Considerations• Requires base computer/phone/watch/glasses

and only serves as an input device

• Wearability

TYPES OF WEARABLESSMARTCLOTHING…

Considerations• Wearability

• User acceptance

• ‘Big Brother’ concerns

• HIPAA concerns

• Insurance concerns

USE CASESWORK/ASSET MANAGEMENT…

• Work order review/updating

• Asset history

• Asset attributes review/updating

• Remote guidance (see what I see)

• Alerts (weather, communications, health)

USE CASESSERVICE RESTORATION…

• Remote guidance (see what I see)

• Storm damage assessment

• Alerts (weather, communications, health)

• Real-time customer information

USE CASESWAREHOUSING…

• Receiving

• Put-a-way

• Cycle counting

• Issuing (picking)

• Alerts (weather, communications, health)