By employing a hybrid RFID and Bluetooth beacon solution that it developed in-house, the company said it has also made the production of several hundred variants of hydraulic valves more efficient and less error-prone.
The new assembly line solution, which was taken live in fall 2014, recognizes the worker at each particular workstation, as well as the components for the item being assembled there, and sends the appropriate instructions for the work in front of that individual. The system also tracks how many components are being used, thereby triggering the reordering of parts as needed. The company is currently marketing the technology to other manufacturers as well, while it plans to continue its own use of the system.
