XERVON Instandhaltung offers professional solutions for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of complex production plants and plant components. The company is one of the leading technical providers in the industry and is continuously working to open up additional time and cost advantages for its customers. An important starting point is the integration of new technologies in the service portfolio.
In the field of smart glasses, XERVON has been cooperating with RISE Technologies since the beginning of 2018. The aim is, that XERVON employees should use the HMT-1 and the explosion-proof HMT-1Z1 for maintenance work. The HMT-1Z1 is the world’s first completely hands-free “Head Mounted Tablet” for hazardous areas.
Challenge
The specialists of XERVON work on customer jobsites every day and ensure that the machine technology and the existing plants run smoothly. There are service cases that make it necessary for the respective employee to contact an expert colleague. “We hoped that the smart glasses would provide us with a connection that would also function without problems in explosion-proof areas. Although he is not on site himself, the expert should see exactly the same things on his PC screen, laptop or smartphone as our employee at the jobsite“, says Steven Brenner.
Solution
If a situation arose in which special knowledge was required, the service employee can connect to his expert colleague via the smart glass, which is attached to his safety helmet. In this way, both could communicate via conference call, exchange case-related information and find a quick solution together without bringing another expert on site. For Steven Brenner, one thing is certain: “Communication via audio and video stream eliminates the need for specially convened meetings for discussion, including the time-consuming journeys required for this. Processes can be accelerated enormously as a result“.
From the point of view of XERVON, optimised communication and the direct sharing of information for time-critical processes are significant advantages of using smart glasses. In addition to internal agreements and the coordination of all those involved, the company is also thinking about the possibility of involving contact persons on the customer side who may not work in the plant but, for example, at the customer’s main location.
Another advantage is the improved documentation. The camera attached to the HMT-1Z1 allows live video transmissions as well as the creation of images. The snapshot function was found to be particularly helpful here. Steven Brenner: “If an employee notices something, he can save it not only as a sound recording but also as a photo and then store it digitally. This gradually creates a knowledge database. The knowledge about individual service cases can thus be called up again at any time, is available to other colleagues and can be used for similar situations“. In addition, communication with the customer is also improved. By documenting the sound recordings and photos, the customer can be even better informed about the circumstances found at the machine and the services provided.
Result
The XERVON staff members using the remote support platform found it very easy to use. A short familiarization period was sufficient to integrate the smart glasses into the daily work routine without any difficulties. The audio communication worked perfectly at all times, even in very loud environments. The potential of the HMT-1Z1 and the RISE Remote Support solution convinced the Head of Maintenance Engineering even with the small adversities of daily practice. “For example, despite comprehensive signposting, it can be difficult for outsiders to find their way around the often large and nested plant complexes at first go. If an employee is on duty who does not yet know the exact route, an experienced colleague can navigate him directly and without unnecessary detours to the plants, that needs to be inspected” explains Steven Brenner.
He sees the application at XERVON particularly in maintenance and in large projects, such as turnarounds of refineries:
„Here, Smart Glass can effectively simplify processes, which saves valuable time.”
Head of Maintenance Engineering
Contact RISE Technologies GmbH
Marketing Managerin
Zugasse 23, 50678 Köln, Germany
Phone: +49 221 300 633 00
E-Mail: alina.kaspers@rise-rs.de