Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GLARTEK (Revolutionary AR eyes for industrial maintenance)

Teaser

• Problem being addressed:Industrial maintenance and configuration are much more than just setup or equipment repairs. Currently, workers still perform on site verification using paper and pencil forms, which is highly inefficient and error prone. Currently, the industrial...

Summary

• Problem being addressed:
Industrial maintenance and configuration are much more than just setup or equipment repairs. Currently, workers still perform on site verification using paper and pencil forms, which is highly inefficient and error prone. Currently, the industrial maintenance work is hindered by the following problems:
1. Complexity: installations are huge mazes of pipes, diverse equipment and sensors, producing enormous amounts of information, supported by multiple monitoring and operational IT systems;
2. Lack of field information near the machines;
3. Lack of communication between maintenance/shift operators;
4. Insufficient access to support documentation;
5. Lack of context-based information
6. Faulty production: a machine incorrectly set-up before a shift (or absence of setup) will compromise the accuracy of e.g. manufactured components, or overall process efficiency. Additional costs become losses: production costs, energy, raw materials, transport in case of parts returned, and production contract fines;
7. Time consumption in search of information.

• Importance for society:
Our solution reduces production downtime and maximize cost savings of manufacturing companies, being the only paperless solution, while providing the maximum information available to the user. GLARTEK is aligned with the European vision for Industry 4.0: added value of combining innovative IoT and AR will lead to production efficiency, reducing downtimes, adding to business sustainability, and raising customer’s service levels. For power utilities, added efficiency of 10-15% will generate positive collateral impact on climate change and the environment. In the F&B sector reduction on 3% waste is expected. In general, dematerialization of procedures saves paper, and printing, on average 20%.

• Overall objectives:
The overall objectives of the project are: to perform business and market studies to prepare a revised a business plan, with a roadmap for worldwide introduction of GLARTEK and achieve sustainable growth.

Work performed

• Work performed:
- Market/Industrial research
- Analysis of IPR, Freedom to Operate and Regulatory issues
- Business Model review/update
- Completion of the feasibility study report

• Main results achieved so far:
- Definition of the go-to-market plan, including the priority segments, industries and countries;
- Pilots concluded, with KPI’s confirming the high potential of the technology (e.g. increase in production and reduction of downtime)
- Definition of our IPR strategy for the next years;
- Identification of legal/security requirements
- Business model reviewed, including definition of the revenue sources (pricing strategy) and estimations of costs and operational cash-flows (5-years);
- Recognition of the industry’s external factors and SWOT analysis.
- Competition monitored and positioning
- Strategy to assure and exploit sustainable competitive advantages
- Technology strategy and product roadmap updated

Pilots conducted during the SMEI1 period:
- EDP Production 1.1
- EDP Production 1.2;
- Sótecnica (EDP real estate);
- Renault
- Renault EURO 2;
- Other (with NDA signed)

Impacts observed in the POCs and pilots conducted:
- Less time spent on the implementation of autonomous maintenance plans (AMPs);
- Increase in production;
- Less training time for staff needed;
- Immediate and digital control and management of Working Orders (WOs).

Several partnerships where established to enter new markets.

Funding was obtained through a closed investment round (December/2018) totalling 1.5M€.

Final results

• Progress beyond the state-of-the-art
GLARTEK is disruptive and unique: other solutions rely on printed tags e.g. QR codes, visual (paper/sticker) tags that must be printed and put all over the place inside facilities and in all equipment to recognize it. GLARTEK uses the visual context as reference, e.g. machines surface and shapes, and, with help of the device camera, it identifies location equipment in relation to the user.
With our cloud point approach, we are 10 to 15 times faster to set-up and deploy in a new factory: 25 minutes for an installation of 600 m2. This is key for customers that have large and complex premises since set-up time and costs are huge concerns.

• Expected results until the end of the project
Expect results were:
A1) To identify, characterize and size the main markets, per country and types of costumer, while evaluating competition. Analyse needs in new markets inside and outside Europe concerning e.g. different regulations and environment. Identify industrial/IT consulting and software development companies in all markets, to establish commercial partnerships, using the agreements with LCG and STEAM as a reference.
A2) To identify any barriers imposed by regulatory requirements and certification issues specific for all markets, and make IPR and FTO analysis; To study and define what could be patentable or protected by other means such as copyright or design/brands protection.
A3) An updated business model, subscription plans: pricing/revenue models, cost structure covering operating costs, sales/advertising, particularly considering competition pricing and user needs. Reviewed financial predictions for the next 5 years, including sales, staff and ROI.
A4) A go-to-market plan covering the marketing plan for the next years, the technology evolution roadmap and next steps towards company growth, profitability and investor attraction, including detailing actions to expand commercially, by order of priority; Understand the main risks in our business and definition of mitigation actions.

• Potential Impacts
Production and maintenance directors (customers):
- Less reduction waste, increase productivity, average task time reduction up to 40%
- Reduction of 65% in downtimes
- Team management platform, each member has a personal profile, where the directors delegate tasks for specific operator(s); information stored centrally
- Reporting tool for every task, to see all the actions undertaken, inventory and time spent in specific tasks
- Layer collecting information from different sources
- Virtual checklist, register rounds, in real time
Shop floor and maintenance operators (Users):
- AR shows comprehensively, in real time, all information around the operator and allows direct access to specific equipment information
- Platform connected to the company internal systems e.g. SAP
- Product response time is instant and fast set-up
- AR shows information of multiple equipment at the same time, by simply pointing the device to the room

Website & more info

More info: https://glartek.com/.