ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘software-and-apps’ CATEGORY

New VPN clients feature IPv4/IPv6 dual stack support and quality of service module.

NCP has released version 12.0 of the NCP Secure Enterprise and Entry Clients and NCP Exclusive Remote Access Client which is optimized for Juniper Networks® SRX Series firewalls.

All three clients feature biometric authentication, seamless roaming, friendly net detection, and VPN Path Finder Technology. In version 12.0, NCP has optimized the Home Zone, Connection Management, and the Support Wizard with the brand new features including IPv4 / IPv6 dual-stack support and the introduction of a Quality of Service (QoS) module.

By prioritizing outgoing data, the VPN client provides specific user-defined applications like VoIP with demand high-quality bandwidth management.

Patrick Oliver Graf, CEO of NCP engineering said: "NCP has extended IPv6 support in its VPN client enabling the new QoS module to enable the maximum outbound bandwidth allocated to them." 

Parsable have released product enhancements to its Connected Worker Platform to strengthen and accelerate digital transformation at industrial companies, from the top floor to the shop floor. These new features make it easier to accurately execute, measure and improve frontline work, while also extending the platform’s integration capabilities with other systems.

Parsable’s enterprise-class, mobile-first Connected Worker Platform provides extremely granular visibility into human-led work done across industrial operations. The new enhancements make it significantly easier for industrial companies to increase user adoption and capture the critical data insights that are essential to successful continuous improvement and, ultimately, product and service excellence.The new features include:

• Applets for Systems – Companies can now easily connect Parsable with their overall operations environment by creating API integrations with other existing systems and Internet of Things (IoT) devices — like an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, manufacturing execution system (MES) or IoT-enabled sensor — or even developing new functionality within the Parsable platform.

Workflow tasks within the Parsable platform – like launching a job, adding steps to an active job or sending notifications – can also be automated using Applets, allowing end users to perform their jobs faster and with greater confidence.

• Input Triggers – Input Triggers make work execution more efficient and reduce confusion about what to do next if something unexpected occurs. Digital procedures can now be designed to dynamically change and respond to real-time inputs made by operators, based on simple “if/then” conditional rules.

For example, if an operator types in a temperature value that is out of an expected range, an Input Trigger can validate in real time whether it is an abnormal temperature reading, and then launch a different set of actions, such as automatically displaying an alert for the operator or sending an email to a supervisor.

• Enhanced Web Execution – Operators who access Parsable through a browser will now see new functionality in the Web Execution app, enabling them to perform their work more quickly and easily. They can make updates to active jobs, such as adding steps, step-groups and templates, as well as notify other users assigned to a step, with a single click.

• Navigation Redesign, Custom Colors in Mobile App – A new, streamlined navigation menu makes it easier for users to get things done within the platform and reinforces the company’s commitment to bringing consumer-grade, user-friendly design to the enterprise. Additionally, Parsable’s mobile app can now be customized with a company’s corporate colors to ensure brand continuity and improve reading clarity.

“Every day we think about how we can accelerate end-to-end industrial transformation for our customers and help drive positive change for their frontline workers through our Connected Worker Platform,” said Michael Chou, Parsable’s Chief Product Officer. “These new features are the result of our commitment to make sure the world’s deskless industrial workers have the best digital tools to perform at the highest levels of productivity and quality, as safely as possible.”

IFS to optimize maintenance scheduling, service and product development through simplified access to Rolls-Royce Trent engine data.

Rolls-Royce has chosen IFS Maintenix™ for exchanging engine data with airlines operating Rolls-Royce Trent engines, including the Trent 1000, Trent XWB and Trent 7000. With a long list of world-leading airlines operating with its engines, the IFS Maintenix solution will help Rolls-Royce and its customers share data.

The IFS Maintenix Aviation Analytics capability enables the automated provision of field data, which ensures that Rolls-Royce receives timely and accurate information. IFS Maintenix then acts as a gateway to automatically push maintenance program changes from Rolls-Royce back to the airline operator. As a result, life-limited engine part maintenance deadlines can be updated based on actual operating conditions and life consumed by each engine in use.

Rolls-Royce helps transport thousands of air passengers and tons of cargo across the world on a daily basis, and maximizing the safety, efficiency and insights gained on each trip is paramount. With the support of IFS Maintenix and its Aviation Analytics capability, Rolls-Royce is able to offer a systematic method of exchanging and accurately updating airline engine life data to optimize the interval between engines being removed and sent for overhaul. This will provide new streams of data for Rolls-Royce to analyze the performance of fleets with Trent engines and refine the aftermarket offerings it can provide its customers, from service-based contracts to analytics insights and more.

Richard Goodhead, Rolls-Royce, SVP Marketing – Civil Aerospace, said: “Ease of data sharing is a key component in the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision, which sees a future in which our aero engines are increasingly connected, contextually aware, and even comprehending. Working with IFS Maintenix to ensure we receive accurate and timely engine life data will help us as we make further progress toward that objective by helping us deliver greater levels of reliability and efficiency to our operators.”

Scott Helmer, President, Aerospace & Defense Business Unit, IFS added: “We are thrilled to work with Rolls-Royce to deliver next-generation maintenance protocols, all based on up-to-date engine life data. This strategically important deal offers further proof that IFS Maintenix can help aviation organizations maximize the revenue potential of their assets through standard, lean, and predictable maintenance.”

Honeywell Forge Inspection Rounds digitizes and standardizes workflows for field workers, leading to increased productivity, improved accuracy and reduced unplanned downtime.

Honeywell has unveiled new software to help field workers in the oil and gas, mining, and aerospace industries digitize equipment inspection programs, which can increase productivity, improve accuracy and minimize unplanned asset downtime. 

Honeywell Forge Inspection Rounds is a mobile solution for field operations that improves technician operator rounds by enabling users to make informed, data-driven decisions. The cloud-based software allows plant supervisors and field technicians to replace manual and paper-based processes with standardized digital processes.

“Honeywell Forge Inspection Rounds is designed to digitize the deskless worker, eliminating the need for field inspectors to maintain tedious paperwork and minimizing the reliance on error-prone work processes,” said Jason Merszei, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Connected Enterprise, Workers. “This software is easy to deploy and enables industrial companies to seamlessly connect to their workers in the field.”

Technicians inspecting equipment in the field can access the software on a mobile device to review and input data with greater detail and accuracy, which can help detect potential problems and prevent costly unplanned downtime. In addition, supervisors can create, schedule, maintain and analyze their operators’ rounds. This allows facility managers to quickly locate operators in the field, validate who is performing a specific task and determine whether that task has been completed properly.

Traditional, paper-based inspections can be inefficient, leading to missed equipment checks and other errors. Workers using Honeywell Forge Inspection Rounds have centralized data at their fingertips, accessible in real time. They are guided through the solution to follow approved, standardized work processes. Automating and streamlining processes can create additional benefits, including greater operational efficiency, increased productivity, improved safety for workers, enhanced compliance, reduced costs and better worker satisfaction.

Augmented Software provider garners funds for its AI-based augmented worker platform.

Augmentir has announced the closure of an oversubscribed funding round. The round was led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, current investors, and HOLT Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of HOLT CAT.

"The closing of this round with the participation of these leading venture capital firms further validates our unique AI-first approach to improving the productivity of frontline workforces," said Russ Fadel, Co-founder and CEO of Augmentir. "This funding will enable 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, and we look forward to reaching even more companies while defining the future of work."

Ty Findley, Vice President at Pritzker Group Venture Capital, added, "With our thematic focus on Industry4.0, we are excited to be working with a company that is accelerating the industrial sector evolution using AI and AR to support frontline workers. From founding efforts at Wonderware, Lighthammer, and ThingWorx, the Augmentir team has a proven track record and domain experience delivering software innovation to the manufacturing and industrial market, and we are eager to participate as Augmentir continues to shape the frontline workforce of the future."

"We are excited to be working with Augmentir and believe that the platform provides our Caterpillar dealership with the opportunity to standardize our workflow across multiple operations in order to deliver improved consistency to our customers," added Meg Paulus, Partner at HOLT Ventures. "Augmentir's AI engine will help us gain better real-time and global insights to our operations to drive increased efficiency and technician training and enablement throughout our territory which spans from the Red River to the Rio Grande."

This latest round of funding will allow Augmentir to further expand its reach in the industrial sector, including oil and gas, mining, field service, and manufacturing industries, and continue to provide solutions that will shape the future of the industrial workforce. The company is the first to deliver an "AI-first" enterprise platform for the industrial sector that combines augmented reality (AR) with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). Augmentir's Augmented Operations™ platform allows industrial companies to support their frontline workforce with augmented procedures and step-by-step work instructions, remote assistance capabilities, and drive continuous improvement through AI-driven insights.

Research shows 5G uptake and unlimited data plans key to market's future growth.

The rising adoption of smartphones and emerging 5G technology is expected to drive the US mobile market to reach $224bn by 2024, says analytics and data firm GlobalData.

Ivan Maldonado, Technology Analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Market penetration and traffic data consumption are set to increase with 97% of the US population expected to own a smartphone by the end of 2024.”

The recent launch of commercial 5G services will also help to accelerate this data usage, as operators expand their network coverage and 5G-enabled smartphones become more commercially available. Average smartphone monthly data usage in the US is set to grow from 12GB in 2019 to 37GB/month by 2024.

Maldonado continued: “By 2024, 38% of the total mobile subscriptions in the US will be supported by 5G technology, most of which will be on unlimited smartphone plans.”

Carriers will continue to develop their 5G ecosystems by collaborating with other IoT service providers in order to offer solutions such as 4K live streaming, remote drones, autonomous cars and live immersive experiences that will further grow average revenue per user (ARPU).

The number of Augmented Reality companies focusing on the field service sector has dramatically increased over the last couple of years. Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News sat down with Chris Kuntz, VP of Marketing for one of the newer organisations in the space Augmentir in California recently and came away impressed...


Augmentir is a relatively new startup in the growing Augmented Reality (AR) space that is focussing on the field service sector. Indeed this is a market that is becoming quite quickly crowded with AR vendors dominating industry conferences both in the US and Europe this summer in terms of the new entrants into the market.

However, three things, in particular, made Augmentir stand out from the crowd when I met with their VP of Marketing, Chris Kuntz, at the Field Service USA conference in Palm Springs recently. Firstly, there is much pedigree in this seemingly wet behind the ears startup.

The team that has put together Augmentir have been together for a long time on different projects which have included bringing the pioneering industrial IoT platform ThingWorx to market, as well as Wonderware, which was the first HMI interface in the manufacturing sector and is now in place in an estimated 60% of manufacturing plants worldwide.

So before we even start to look at the technology driving Augmentir, it’s fair to say that there is more than a good chance we shall potentially see another success story here.

However, the fact is that even without the well established pedigree, the vision behind Augmentir have taken a different yet thoroughly logical approach that sets them apart from many of their peers in the market.

As Kuntz, explained when I met with him in California, “We’re taking a different spin on what’s out there today. We’re the first software platform built on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world of the augmented or connected worker. Historically, what’s happened in field service is roughly as follows: A new job is created when a customer reports a problem with a piece of equipment. This results in a worker getting dispatched, who then attends the job and either fixes the product or has to reschedule a second visit. Then at some point later, he updates a system with the notes outlining the actions he took,” Kuntz says recalling a scenario many of us in the sector recognise.

“However, the activities that happened from the time the engineer was dispatched to the time that that job is complete, remain a relative unknown, it’s a black box today. People don’t know what’s happening on the job site. Is that worker struggling with some of the steps? Does that worker speed through the repair procedure? Did the worker follow the right steps to meet health and safety requirements?”

There are all sorts of things happening. The problem then gets compounded for some companies who offer self-service or routines their dealer network or to their end customers. Now, you don’t know if they’re following the correct maintenance procedures or not. This, in turn, could affect the warranty status, and so on and so forth.”


       "Augmentir have taken a different yet thoroughly logical approach..."


Of course, the result of the scenario Kuntz outlines is one many of us are familiar with. Companies have thus started to push technology down to the worker to make them better connected, to make them ‘augmented’.

This is at the heart of the current play for many AR providers, which in essence builds upon the case put forward for mobile a decade ago. Ultimately field service organisations are still attempting to solve the perennial question of “How can we give our engineers more information, give them more instructions on how to guide them through their process”. 

“That’s all fine,” Kuntz states referring to the approach most of his peers are taking in resolving these issues, “But most companies aren’t collecting how their engineer’s work is performed. They’re just saying to the engineers, ‘Here are your instructions.’

“What we’re doing is taking that one step further. Firstly, we provide what we call ‘augmented work instruction’. By that, we mean work instructions that have information related to the case the engineer is doing, the piece of equipment they are working on and its work history that make the instructions interactive and personalised work instructions.

“If you’re an expert, that’s gone through this procedure a million times, you might get a more summarised view of the instructions, whereas if you’re a novice and this is the first time on a specific repair, our AI engine might provide you with a required training video along with a more detailed step-by-step guide. All to meet the goal of fix it right the first time …in the least amount of time.
 
“The next thing we do is we’re collecting all the granular data on how the workers performing their job and interacting with the instructions. We’re then using this data with our Artificial Intelligence engine in a way to help them become better at what they’re doing.

“Maybe an engineer is performing tasks slower than the average worker, is that an opportunity for training? Maybe they’re faster than the average worker? Is it an opportunity to tap into that person to say, how are you doing it? Have they found a more effective way of completing a task? Alternatively, maybe most of the workers are having trouble with a specific procedure/step – is there an opportunity to improve the instructions or associated training materials?”

Compliance is, of course, a crucial part of a field engineers role - both for legislative and internal efficiency purposes. However, often, it is the case that compliance steps happen after the fact.

One of the crucial aspects of digital transformation is making sure actions like these can now be electronically verified in real-time, in an interactive manner - and not just be an afterthought added to the notes a service engineer completes at the end of the job.

It is a small shift in a workflow that can have multiple big benefits, and the fact that Augmentir has baked such factors as this into their solution from the get-go does suggest they have a firm understanding of the field service engineers day to day workflow and the broader processes of the field service operation.

“This information can be used for compliance purposes, can be used for warranty purposes, it can be sent back to the customer to say, ‘this is a service procedure, this is exactly what happened,’ offer them a full inventory, step by step of what happened,” Kuntz explains: “We’re taking augmented reality, infusing it with artificial intelligence to collect the data, analyse it, and push it back to the organisation. Moreover, we’re doing it in a way that offers our enterprise software platform in a more modern approach.”

It is here we come across the third facet of Augmentir’s approach that also separates them from much of the pack - their route to market is equally accessible for the SMB sector as it is the large enterprise.

Kuntz continues: “If you think about how companies in this space adopt technology, Salesforce, Clicksoftware, ServiceMax; it’s a very lengthy process to implement any of these systems. Certainly, when it gets down to other AR solutions, it is no different and implementation can become even more time consuming. A pilot may take nine months; it could cost up to $150,000 to test out an AR solution.

“What we’re doing is trying to take a model that Slack, Atlassian and Dropbox have taken - make it easy to try, easy to buy, easy to own. The way people adopt Dropbox, the way people adopt Slack today is typical of how the modern world works, and we think we can apply that to the field service sector.

“What that allows us to do is not only work with the large enterprise companies, but also the small to mid-sized companies that don’t have the time and money to spend a large amount of money on implementing a large complex system." 

This strategy really could be a game changer in the Field Service/Augmented Reality sector, which for a long time I have identified as one that has a vast potential to improve field service delivery, yet has ultimately struggled to truly take a prevalent hold in any meaningful way as yet.

SMBs are in prime position to benefit from many of the potential benefits, both in terms of reducing costs and increasing revenues that AR could yield.  A solution that allows them to step into this world, virtually risk-free could become a massive gateway for widespread adoption on a mass scale.

The pedigree of Augmentir’s senior team, the intelligent well thought out use cases presented and a strategy that makes the solution easy to trial are three significant areas that can make them stand out from this increasingly busy pack.

However, the biggest reason I see Augmentir becoming an established provider within our sector is that I don’t actually think they are an AR provider at all. Instead, having spent some time with Kuntz looking at and discussing the solution, I believe they are best described as ‘an AI company that specialises in knowledge transfer and interpretation, who happen to have chosen AR as the primary interface for their solution'. 

It might not roll off the tongue quite as easily, but it sure ticks a lot of boxes that many, many field service companies are looking at - and this may make Augmentir a key solution in the sector.