A Letter From the CEO: Augmentir Closes Funding Round to Accelerate AI Expansion

Dear Augmentir Customers and Friends – a note on Augmentir funding and Ai expansion, This week we announced that we closed an oversubscribed funding round that will support the Augmentir mission to transform the frontline workforce with our AI-based Augmented Worker Platform. This round was led by leading venture capital firm Pritzker Group Venture Capital, […]

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ar and ai Dear Augmentir Customers and Friends – a note on Augmentir funding and Ai expansion, This week we announced that we closed an oversubscribed funding round that will support the Augmentir mission to transform the frontline workforce with our AI-based Augmented Worker Platform. This round was led by leading venture capital firm Pritzker Group Venture Capital, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, our current investors, and HOLT Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of HOLT CAT. Not only does the successful closing of this funding round further validate Augmentir and our unique approach of using AI and AR to support frontline workers, but it also enables us to expand our global footprint, further increase the functionality of the platform, and make it even more accessible to companies across the small, mid-sized and large spectrum. Together with our investors and partners, we look forward to reaching even more companies, more workers, and more innovators, while defining the future of work. With a unique and proven track record that includes founding efforts at Wonderware, Lighthammer, and ThingWorx, our executive team has the unparalleled domain expertise to deliver the next software innovation that will revolutionize the manufacturing and industrial market and shape the frontline workforce of the future. We are excited to continue this journey with you, to support your frontline workforce with augmented procedures and help your organization drive continuous improvement through AI-driven insights. Thank you! Sincerely, Russ Fadel, CEO, Augmentir
Read the Press Release

About Augmentir

Augmentir is the world’s only Smart Connected Worker Suite. Augmentir is being used by manufacturing and service companies to empower their frontline workers to perform at their best and deliver improvements in safety, quality, and productivity consistently, year-over-year. Augmentir offers customized AI-powered connected worker solutions that transform how you write and create manufacturing standard operating procedures. Request a live demo today to learn more about why leading manufacturers are choosing our solutions to improve their manufacturing processes.

Four Ways Connected Worker Technology is Helping Frontline Workers Operate in Today’s New Normal

The impact of COVID-19 has placed pressure on manufacturing operations leaders to maintain business operations and business continuity. Here are four ways that connected worker technology is shaping the future industrial workforce.

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Four Ways Digital Technology is Helping Frontline Workers Operate in Today’s New Normal

The global pandemic has changed frontline work and given workers a new type of normal – and for many manufacturers, the change will be permanent.

The impact of COVID-19, and subsequent changes in how factories are located, staffed, managed and digitized, as well as how customers are supported is placing pressure on manufacturing operations leaders. According to McKinsey & Co., manufacturing companies of every size are now turning to digital and connected worker technology as a way to maintain business operations and business continuity. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) based remote collaboration are now central to the corporate innovation portfolio of any business leader and crucial to boosting productivity at a time when enterprises most need it.

Here are four ways that connected worker technology is shaping the future industrial workforce and helping frontline workers operate at peak levels of safety, quality, and productivity during these times.

1. Provide Remote Assistance

Travel limitations and restrictions have forced companies to re-think how they support their staff and customers. As a result of COVID-19, manufacturers have initiated policies that encourage remote working, eliminate non-essential travel and instruct employees who are sick or under quarantine to stay home. This directly impacts the progression of operations that typically take place when multiple workers collaborate onsite.

AR-based virtual collaboration tools are providing business continuity for companies that can no longer rely on face-to-face interactions.

With on-demand remote expert functionality, onsite workers can quickly pull in an offsite colleague when their expertise is required. Many manufacturers are also extending this out to support virtual collaboration with 3rd party dealers and suppliers, customers, and even field service teams for those companies that provide equipment service and support. Digital work procedures, videos, realtime data and more are readily available and allow remote subject matter experts to intelligently guide and help workers on the job.

2. Reimagine Training

One of the challenges that has emerged during this pandemic has been workforce variability. Flexible staffing is becoming more the norm, and training/re-skilling is more important now than ever.

Traditional methods of classroom training have now become impractical if not impossible, and many companies are looking towards connected worker technology to help shorten training times and accelerate onboarding for new technicians. Use augmented reality (AR), visual aids, and contextual information to guide workers through complex tasks and deliver AR-based training experiences.

For example, Bio-Chem Fluidics, a mid-sized manufacturing company, was able to reduce new employee training time by over 80% – from three months down to two weeks. The use of visual aids and short training videos within digitized work procedures allowed their operation to onboard technicians at a faster rate and reduce downtime during learning periods, resulting in improved productivity.

3. Improve Quality and Productivity through Augmented Work Instructions

Another area where connected worker technology helps is through augmented work instructions. Equipped with digital devices that could include tablets, mobile phones, or even AR-enabled industrial smart glasses, frontline workers are able to receive fully augmented, guided instructions on any device to improve productivity, quality and allow workers to perform their jobs more independently. These help guide workers with visual aids, AR/MR experiences, and contextual information.

Digital work instructions enable manufacturing workers, customers, dealers, and field service technicians to complete assembly, installation, maintenance, or repair procedures at 100% quality without requiring face-to-face support. Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) can be used to amplify the value that digital work instructions bring to the connected worker. AI is used to personalize the instructions to each worker’s proficiency level, which helps intelligently close the skills gap and enable workers to perform at their best.

4. Uncover Continuous Improvement Opportunities

It’s critical for manufacturers to monitor processes and track progress during this time so that they can make quick adjustments to ensure overall optimization. Our view at Augmentir is that the purpose of a connected worker platform isn’t simply to deliver instructions and remote support to a frontline worker, but rather to optimize the performance of the connected worker ecosystem.

Incorporating AI into a connected worker strategy enables true organizational optimization using the rich stream of activity data to recommend improvement actions to frontline workers, continuous improvement specialists, trainers, manufacturing engineers, and operation and service managers.

  • AI-based connected worker platforms can use granular data to identify the largest opportunities across the frontline workforce
  • For example, Augmentir’s AI-powered connected worker platform looks through all job data and uses AI to cleanse the data set and recognize the largest improvement opportunities for your company in productivity, training, quality, and delivers them to your team automatically through insights in the system
  • In doing that, the system learns a lot about each worker, and can dynamically match the instructions to each worker’s proficiency and capability, intelligently closing the skills gap
  • Finally, AI bots allow you to accumulate tribal knowledge (that your subject matter experts know) and convert it into a scalable, digital corporate asset

With an ecosystem of content authors, frontline workers, subject matter experts, operations managers, continuous improvement engineers, and quality specialists, there are dozens of opportunities to improve performance.

Now is the time to consider these and start digitizing and connecting your frontline workforce. These technologies are proving to be practical and effective ways to close skill gaps and transform training efforts – allowing your frontline workers to work safely and efficiently in today’s new normal. Book a personalized demo to learn more.

 

How AI is Transforming Lean Manufacturing

Augmentir CEO Russ Fadel and Bio-Chem Operations Manager Conor Puckett recently sat down to discuss how technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence and Connected Worker technology, are transforming lean manufacturing.

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Augmentir CEO Russ Fadel and Bio-Chem Operations Manager Conor Puckett recently sat down to discuss how technology, specifically AI and Connected Worker technology, are transforming lean manufacturing, driving continuous improvement and optimizing overall worker effectiveness in the manufacturing sector. 

For quite some time, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) has been used in lean manufacturing to evaluate the effectiveness of factory equipment, yet still, many manufacturers ignore the human aspect of a lean strategy. Unfortunately, this leaves manufacturers with a missed opportunity. According to Deloitte, while measuring worker productivity and labor efficiency is not a new concept, the rise of digital technology is making it easier and more practical for the manufacturing workforce to connect with the support tools as well as the real-time data and insights needed to propel them to do their best work.

In this webinar, Conor shares how Bio-Chem is driving their lean initiatives forward using technology and data to gain insight into how their workforce is performing, why that is important to them as a business and how they are using that information to drive continuous improvement efforts across their operations.

Russ provides his insights into how AI is really becoming transformational in terms of understanding the manufacturing workforce, optimizing their performance, and being used to gain insight into improving performance, quality, and productivity.

Watch the full webinar recording to:

  • Learn how to extend the principles of OEE to the manufacturing workforce
  • Discover proven approaches that leverage AI and connected worker technology to digitize manufacturing processes and uncover continuous improvement opportunities for improved worker efficiency and effectiveness
  • Uncover best practices for optimizing worker performance and enhancing workforce development program
  • Hear how Bio-Chem Fluidics uses AI and digital worker tools to improve quality and productivity within their lean manufacturing operations

About Augmentir

Augmentir is the world’s only Smart Connected Worker Suite. Augmentir is being used by manufacturing and service companies to empower their frontline workers to perform at their best and deliver improvements in safety, quality, and productivity consistently, year-over-year. Refining manufacturing methods can be difficult without the right technology. Augmentir’s AI-based connected worker solution makes streamlining and optimizing your production and quality procedures easier than ever before.

Schedule a live demo to learn why manufacturing leaders are choosing us to improve worker efficiency, enhance frontline productivity, apply real-time insights, and more.

Augmentir Selected as “Innovators to Watch” by JFF

Jobs for the Future (JFF) has selected Augmentir as one of 15 ‘Innovators to Watch’, as part of their research report Learning as an Experience.

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Jobs for the Future (JFF) has selected Augmentir as one of 15 ‘innovators to watch’, as part of their research report Learning as an Experience.

According to JFF, these “Innovators to Watch” are a select group of visionary enterprises that are at the leading edge of market trends and they distinguish themselves from other forward-looking companies by their potential to create significant, business-aligned social impact. These companies offer a potentially transformative innovation and are led by inspiring founders and teams that we believe in.

In the report, JFFLabs takes closer look at the evolving alternative education and training market, with a focus on solutions that have a “measurable impact on workers’ wage and employment prospects.” The program providers and platforms selected help employers develop, train, and retain workers and make up “an ecosystem of opportunity that workers can turn to throughout their careers as they navigate new pathways in an ever-evolving economy.”

According to the report, “Augmentir stands out because it develops solutions with frontline workers and industrial settings in mind. At a time of heightened concern about automation eliminating industrial jobs, Augmentir presents employers with an opportunity to use technology to help workers develop the skills they need to adapt to changes.

The company frames its work around the key idea of skills variability rather than skills gaps, using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology to holistically understand every worker’s competencies and offering employers tools that help workers acquire new or more advanced skills.

Augmentir’s products give every worker direct access to knowledge and information in user-friendly digital formats. The company’s tools embed training into workers’ day-to-day routines, and employers can use the platform to continually update training content to support workers’ evolving learning needs. And Augmentir’s approach of collectively sourcing knowledge from individuals in the workforce makes learning a social experience and increases learner engagement by giving workers agency to shape training content.”

Read the full report at JFF.org.

3 Ways Manufacturers are Using Technology to Train, Develop, and Retain Talent

AI-powered technology may be the missing puzzle piece for today’s workforce crisis.

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AI-powered technology may be the missing puzzle piece for today’s workforce crisis in manufacturing.

Is it just us or does recruiting, training, and retaining top talent today feel a lot like searching for that one elusive puzzle piece? The seismic shift in the workforce is forcing us to get creative and be adaptable like never before.  It’s a new generation and if we want to be competitive in hiring in this ultra-competitive environment, we need to re-access how we train, develop, and retain talent, embrace the variable nature of the labor market, and meet workers where they are. 

We can no longer try to force-fit the old model of staffing and training into a space that looks drastically different. It’s not just about a labor shortage or the supply chain challenges created by the pandemic. Workers themselves are changing. What they want from work, and how they want to work.

The solution to this head-scratching puzzle? AI-based technology. Digital work instructions and individualized training and on-the-job training (OJT) can improve productivity, reliability, independence, and safety for every worker. It offers flexibility in scheduling for operations managers. It reduces downtime. All of which contribute to a more efficient – and profitable – operation.

Sound too good to be true? Brace yourselves. It’s not. Here are three ways that AI-powered technology can help.

1. Moving onboarding and training closer to the point of work

Imagine if we could train and develop someone in the context of doing their work, leading to increased engagement and allowing organizations to retain top talent. Furthermore, we could see an increase in productivity as they constantly evolve their learnings.

AI is allowing companies to understand a worker’s skillset and provides the ability for personalized digital work instructions to guide them in the context of work while they are doing their job, whether it’s a new worker or one with dozens of years of experience. With an AI-based onboarding approach, organizations are able to hire a wider range of individuals with varying skill sets and get those individuals productive faster.

2. Give support at the moment of need

Are you a people watcher? We are. Ever take notice of who is on the factory floor? Last time I checked, we got the “newbies” and “veterans”. The variability of the workforce, both skilled and young, proves that there’s not a one size fits all approach to troubleshooting and performance support.

Enter AI.

Give workers the support and guidance they need, at the moment of need, whether it’s immediate access to a digital troubleshooting guide, or connecting virtually with a subject matter expert.  Delivering personalized work procedures for every worker allows for continuous learning and growth.

3. Improve engagement and retention

Workers that are connected and empowered with digital technology can discover and nurture diverse skills based on their unique competencies and experience. They can earn greater responsibility and independence. This increases confidence and job satisfaction. Which in turn can improve employee retention and slow the revolving door of continual recruiting and training. 

The aftermath?

Workers are likely to stay and want to grow in the company when they feel included. Shortly, workers begin walking with poise and a “can-do” attitude to their next job task.

 

What else is possible with AI-powered connected worker technology?

AI-based technology is ideal for training workers in this variable environment. AI-based systems individualize information about workers based on previous training and data-driven performance insights and augments their capabilities. It offers step-by-step guidance at the moment of need for regularly scheduled maintenance as well as troubleshooting. It helps managers learn about workers’ existing skills and build a rationale for specific roles, resources, and certification support and then make clear recommendations based on demands.

Technology should fit into your business as simply as sliding that last puzzle piece into place. Workers are the heart of your business, and you should adapt technology to fit your business, not the other way around.

Technology should fit into your business as simply as sliding that last puzzle piece into place. That includes how you train your workers. But no two workers are exactly alike. Each will learn and approach problems differently. So why not use the technology that recognizes and adapts to those differences to your advantage?

 

To learn more about how Augmentir can help you embrace this opportunity, contact us for a personalized demo.

How to Track Employee Skills in the Manufacturing Industry

Learn how to track employee skills in manufacturing and discover modern approaches to effective skills tracking.

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In today’s manufacturing environment, it is daunting and time-consuming to keep track of employee skill levels across the many different job tasks. With the constantly accelerating rate of turnover in the workforce, Excel or paper-based skills tracking in manufacturing has become obsolete.

Leading manufacturers are now turning to smart digital technology to streamline skills tracking and connect it with frontline operations, giving them a competitive edge and boosting workplace safety productivity. Skills tracking software can be a great help to identify workers’ current skills and find any gaps. In a nutshell, such a tool helps automate, organize and simplify the process of evaluating employees’ skills and better understanding your workforce.

track employee skills in manufacturing

Learn more about how skills tracking is changing and the importance of integrating skills management into the flow of work by exploring the following topics:

Five approaches to effective skills tracking in manufacturing

According to a recent survey by McKinsey & Company, companies reported that tracking and validating skills and competencies was their top talent challenge.

Effective skills tracking can improve safety, productivity, and worker performance by helping match the right people with the right tasks. For any organization, there are multiple methods and tools that can be used to track the skills of your workforce:

1. Direct assessment

This approach focuses on one employee directly assessing another. This may be done as a form of peer review between employees or by a manager.

2. Self-assessment

This approach consists of employees conducting self-assessments of their skills and qualifications through surveys every few months.

3. Anonymous peer assessment

This approach involves coworkers anonymously assessing each other’s performance on projects or other tasks.

4. Skill assessment using HR or learning systems

This type of assessment can be done using an HR system (or a Learning Management System) to assess and update employee profiles based on training completed. For example, workers can report any courses finished, track their training data or report new certificates.

5. AI-based skills tracking software

Any of the above 4 methods are commonly used, however, the increasing workforce variability, absenteeism, and turnover is forcing new requirements. Increasingly, manufacturers are turning to AI-based software solutions to help digitally track and manage skills, and connect them with work execution.

HR/Learning systems or standalone skills tracking software solutions that attempt to automate skills tracking fall short of meeting the needs of today’s manufacturers because they do not connect the “skills that workers know” with the “work being done”. These standalone solutions may have been ideal for the stable, unchanging workforce of the past, but they are not suited for today’s era of high workforce variability.

skills and work

An integrated, closed-loop skills management system is the solution for this era of high workforce turnover and absenteeism. Skills management solutions that combine skills tracking capabilities with AI-based connected worker technology and on-the-job training can deliver significant additional value. Data from actual work performance can inform workforce development investments allowing you to target you training, reskilling, and upskilling efforts where they have the largest impact.

Benefits of skills tracking in manufacturing

Tracking skills in manufacturing can help identify the skills your employees already hold and those they still need to learn to properly do their jobs. Furthermore, using AI-based connected worker solutions, organizations can digitize and easily manage skills tracking and training programs and connect them with frontline operations.

Some benefits of tracking your employees’ skills using this approach include:

1. Boosts productivity on the shop floor

An organization’s commitment to cultivating its team’s skills can influence their attitudes toward the job. A worker is likelier to perform better when valued and appreciated. Skills tracking also ensures that workers are qualified to perform their job.

2. Ensure safety

Solutions that close the loop between training/skills and the work being done allow organizations to validate at the time of work assignment who has the skill level to safely perform a specific task. This helps to mitigate risk and ensure safety.

3. Intelligently assigning work

Ensure the right person is assigned to the right job. Manage work assignments based on skill level, endorsements, and actual job performance.

4. Closes the skills gap

Tracking skills is a great way to identify gaps between the skills employees already have and the skills they need. With this information, the company can arrange for additional training or other ways to invest in their employees. Keep in mind that as your manufacturing organization evolves and grows, so should your employee skillset.

5. Boosts internal communications

Employers who actively develop their employees’ skill levels are likelier to retain them. Tracking skills can also motivate and spur connections with team members.

6. Identify upskilling or reskilling opportunities

Use data from actual work performance, combined with an employee’s current skills and endorsements to inform your reskilling and upskilling decisions.

7. Enhances competitive edge

Although the purpose of effective skills tracking is to aid in worker growth and development, a byproduct is a stronger, more competitive organization as a whole. Knowing where improvements need to be made can close any learning gaps and boost the overall success of a company. Optimizing your workforce can help improve productivity in every department, giving your company a competitive edge in today’s market.

Features to look for in skills tracking software

Having the right features for skills tracking in manufacturing can help a company be more productive and efficient. This type of software should help manufacturing facilities no only identify, assess, track and cultivate employee skills, but also improve operational safety and performance.

It’s important to look for the following features when deciding which software is right for you:

Training management
This feature helps businesses see how their teams are progressing and evaluate whether training opportunities are making an impact. It helps store employee training records for real-time access and evaluation, and measure training effectiveness based on actual job performance.

Certifications management
This feature helps employers manage employee certifications. If a worker’s certification is expiring, the software’s tracking functions should easily notify the parties involved.

Skills tracking integrated into the flow of work
Skill levels and current endorsements ensure that workers can perform tasks safely and correctly and, therefore need to be considered at the moment of work assignment and again at the moment of work execution.

Live dashboard
Skills tracking software with customizable dashboards offer a real-time view of employee skills, qualifications, and any skill gaps that may exist. Managers will have a better idea of where to allocate resources to train employees and who is a better fit for a role.

intelligently assign jobs

 

Learn how Smart Skills Management software is helping manufacturers bridge the gap between training, skills, and work to build a more resilient and agile workforce.

Download our latest eBook – The Future of Work: Connecting Skills Management with Standard Work.

Download the eBook

 

How to Standardize Quality Assurance Procedures in Manufacturing

Learn how to standardize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing to improve overall quality and reduce errors.

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It takes implementing just one wrong procedure for a product to end up defective and nowhere near ready for customer delivery. That’s why it’s important to standardize quality assurance (QA) procedures to ensure conformity on the shop floor and prevent product malfunctions.

But what is quality assurance? According to TechTarget, it is a process used to determine whether a product or service meets necessary requirements, in manufacturing specifically these are required standards for distribution. In a nutshell, QA procedures ensure customers receive quality products that are free of defects.

quality assurance procedures manufacturing

Learn how to standardize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing by exploring the following content:

What are quality assurance procedures?

QA procedures are a systematic process of establishing and maintaining set requirements for manufacturing reliable products and services. These procedures should be standardized by setting up a quality assurance system for workers to access. There, they can see how to complete certain tasks to avoid errors on the production floor.

Quality assurance methods can be categorized into three types, which we explain in the table below.

 

Type of QA methodDescriptionExample
Failure testingThis is the process of testing a product to see if it can withstand stress. The purpose is to identify any deficiencies.Manufacturers may place a product under heat, pressure, or vibration to test outcomes.
Statistical process control (SPC)SPC is an industry-standard practice for measuring and controlling product quality during the production process. Data is collected by measuring process inputs (dependent variables) in real time. This data is then visualized in SPC charts with predetermined control limits based on how a type of product is expected to perform.A manufacturing line would apply statistical and analytical tools to monitor input variables and look for excesses or waste.
Total quality management (TQM)TQM is the idea that every employee, from assembly line workers to leadership, is committed to improving processes, products, and services.TQM may be implemented to raise overall productivity and make a manufacturer more competitive.

 

How to standardize quality assurance procedures

Quality assurance procedures help manufacturers develop products and services that meet customers’ needs and expectations. If implemented successfully, QA can catch any defects before they arise and substantially increase product quality.

It’s also vital to implement a quality assurance system to improve efficiency. Developing a unified system makes it easier to incrementally improve your production processes, and it’s essential for standardizing your quality assurance procedures.

Read on about the seven steps for successful QA implementation:

Step 1: Define Organizational Goals

Successful manufacturing QA begins by identifying how workers’ jobs are tied to an organization’s goals. It’s crucial for workers to know their company’s mission and how they fit into it. When employees understand how their individual goals relate to the organization’s goals, it can boost worker confidence — and in turn, production efficiency.

Step 2: Pinpoint Necessary Success Factors

It’s important to list the factors that make your quality assurance process successful. For instance, factors can include production processes, technical or customer support, and other things that make your organization great. Creating a list of major factors that contribute to company achievements will make it easier to update and manage those factors later on.

Step 3: Identify Your Customer Base

It’s vital to define your client case. If you know your customer, you’re more likely to create products and services that they would value.

Step 4: Gather Customer Feedback

Once you’ve established your customer base, it’s vital to incorporate what they think about your products and services. Frequent customer feedback can keep your quality assurance on track since it helps you identify and resolve product issues before they become critical problems. Reports can be gathered though surveys, email, phone, focus groups, or other methods. The goal is to achieve continuous feedback regardless of which methods you choose.

Step 5: Strive for Continuous Improvement

Quality assurance goes hand in hand with continuous improvement. The information you’ve gathered from customer surveys or other methods can now be used to implement any needed changes to your quality assurance process.

Continuous improvement can also be in the form of customer service training, changes to production processes, improvements to products or services, or anything that adds value to your organization.

Whatever you do, it’s crucial to study customer comments and use them to enhance operational procedures to ensure you’re delivering products that bring value and sell.

Step 6: Find QA Management Software

Once you’ve established the above steps, it’s time to start thinking about which quality QA software, or system, will help you better implement QA procedures. Picking the right software will aid with maintaining and improving production processes.

Step 7: Assess Results

Lastly, it’s important to measure your results. Your main goal is to ensure that your business meets the needs of each customer. Create measurable objectives for employees so that everyone knows what needs to be accomplished in a timely manner. If goals aren’t met, make sure workers are clear about what actions need to be taken to meet client satisfaction.

Take note: If your manufacturing firm does not reach its goals, it is hard to show a positive ROI to stakeholders. That’s why taking corrective action to meet company targets is more imperative than ever before.

Benefits of Implementing QA Procedures in Manufacturing

Quality assurance in manufacturing can offer a wide variety of benefits if management makes it a priority.

Some benefits of standardizing QA procedures include:

Cost-effectiveness: When done right, QA can prevent quality product issues before hitting the market. For instance, manufacturers won’t have to worry about scrapped parts, product returns, or other expenses due to poor-quality goods.

Greater workplace efficiency: Manufacturers will be able to better allot resources like time, money, and warehouse space if fewer product deficiencies exist. It boils down to this: it takes fewer resources to develop quality items if processes are in place to support the feat of QA procedures.

Enhanced Customer satisfaction: Customers will almost surely receive quality products in a timely manner if workers employ quality assurance techniques. If fewer product malfunctions exist, customers are more likely to keep coming back for more. In the end, it’s a win-win situation for both businesses and clients alike.

Industrial companies use Augmentir’s breakthrough system to standardize and optimize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing. With Augmentir, you will experience fewer errors and reduced product defect rates with our connected worker solution. Learn more about our quality use cases.

Contact us for a live demo to start optimizing your frontline operations today!

Augmentir Wins Gold at 2024 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology Awards

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Augmentir recognized by the Brandon Hall Group for the “Best Advance in Generative AI for Business Impact”, wins gold in the 2024 Technology Excellence Awards.

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We did it again!

We are excited to announce today that Augmentir won Gold in the 2024 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology Awards for “Best Advance in Generative AI for Business Impact“.

augmentir wins gold at 2024 brandon hall group awards for generative ai business impact

The 2024 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Awards™ are given for work in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Enablement, Future of Work, and Education Technology. Augmentir received its gold award in the Future of Work category based on our breakthrough, innovative use of Generative AI to address skilled labor shortages and workforce challenges that are crippling the manufacturing industry today.

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts, and executives based upon these criteria: fit the need, program design, functionality, innovation, and overall measurable benefits.

“In our 31st year, the Excellence in Technology Awards continue to showcase the best innovations in learning, talent management, talent acquisition, HR, workforce management, and sales enablement technologies. We are proud to receive applications from a diverse range of organizations globally, reflecting the ever-evolving landscape of technology solutions,” said Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer Rachel Cooke, leader of the Excellence Awards program.

 

Augmentir’s generative AI solution – Augie™ – is a central component to the Augmentir Connected Worker platform. Augie is a generative AI assistant that improves operational efficiency and supports today’s less experienced frontline workforce through faster problem-solving, proactive insights, data analysis, rapid content creation, and enhanced decision-making.

Augmentir recently unveiled powerful new updates to Augie, and launched the industry’s first Industrial Generative AI Suite, targeted towards improving safety, quality, and productivity for the industrial frontline workforce. Augie’s suite of gen AI services expand on the platform’s existing capabilities, which have been in use by leading manufacturers for over a year, transforming operations and addressing the skilled labor shortage through advanced troubleshooting and real-time digital assistance to frontline workers. The Augie Industrial Gen AI Suite includes:

  • Augie Industrial Work Assistant
    Provide real-time support and guidance to workers on the floor or in the field. Augie helps workers with standard work, troubleshooting, and information access.
  • Augie Content Assistant
    Automatically convert existing digital content (Word Excel, PDF, etc) into native Augmentir Work instructions, SOPs, OPLs, CILs, Checklists, etc., accelerating deployment. Generate training, checklists, and quizzes from a wide range of source types including images, manuals, free-form tests, etc., to streamline worker training and onboarding.
  • Augie Data Assistant
    Augie provides insights from any source of operational data, including standard datasets such as Skills, Standard Work, Safety, and Work Execution, as well as customer-specific datasets generated through Augmentir’s report configurator. Augie eliminates the need for “report writing” and through its conversational interface answers questions, performs math, and generates graphical reports, increasing responsiveness.
  • Augie Extensibility Assistant
    Augie increases the productivity of developers building new functions and supporting existing user-defined functions within Augmentir’s extensibility framework. Augmentir’s unique Platform-as-a-Service offering empowers customers and partners to create unique solutions that solve critical business challenges—a capability that no other platform on the market offers.
  • Augie Industrial GenAI-as-a-Service
    As an industry first, Augie exposes its GenAI capabilities as APIs within Augmentir’s extensibility framework. This allows companies and partners to create innovative, customized GenAI solutions tailored to business, or industry-specific needs and use cases. Commonly used APIs include: translateText enabling on-the-fly translation of dynamic content, and imageQA, enabling direct comparison or summarization of images, supporting critical applications in Quality, Safety, and Operations.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the Brandon Hall Group for bringing the transformative power of generative AI to industrial frontline operational processes,” said Russ Fadel, CEO of Augmentir. “Just as we have seen GenAI deliver transformational value to the consumer and enterprise, the Augie Suite provides the tools to enable companies to empower their frontline workers, regardless of experience, to perform with higher levels of safety and productivity. Additionally, this provides the tools for our partners to build innovative use cases to solve previously unsolvable problems.”

Augmentir introduced Augie in early 2023, becoming the first software provider in the manufacturing sector to offer a generative AI solution focused on the industrial frontline workforce. Since its launch, Augie has been adopted by industry leaders across all manufacturing and production verticals, helping prevent safety and quality issues at the point of work, driving operational efficiency, and giving frontline workers the tools, guidance, and support they need to do their best work.

Augie’s generative AI capabilities are built into the core of the Augmentir platform, so customers can quickly and securely leverage the latest AI advances within the framework of digital collaboration, skills management, and work execution. This allows customers to leverage existing data, documents, applications, and their existing tribal knowledge, increasing their ROI.

Interested in learning more?

If you’d like to learn more about Augmentir and see how our AI-powered connected worker platform enables Augmented Connected Worker initiatives to improve safety, quality, and productivity across your workforce, schedule a demo with one of our product experts.

 

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