SECURE WORKSPACES REQUIRE CONSTANT MONITORING
Safe and secure warehouses are the core of any modern manufacturing and logistics business. That’s why AI-based monitoring technologies are being deployed by many companies ensuring improved safety and increased productivity levels, avoiding possible threats ranging from work accidents and injuries to data theft and security breaches. Managing a complex workspace involves tackling various challenges:
- work safety issues due to incorrect Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) use,
- employee fatigue,
- inefficient processes,
- incorrect handling and consequent damage of goods.
These represent just a fraction of the struggles a production line manager has to face every day.
The handling of confidential material also poses a significant threat as a data breach could easily happen, for instance, when an employee forgets to collect a confidential document from a printer.
Traditionally, these safety and security concerns have been addressed by employing human resources to constantly monitor and detect anomalies and deficiencies. However, as reported by The International Labour Organization, the 340 million yearly occupational accidents and undocumented internal security breaches demonstrate how hard it is to manage a modern workspace.
CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY AND AI-BASED ALGORITHMS FOR WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
The Video Solution Services (VSS) project introduced by Konica Minolta Digital Services R&D aims to support the customer in the digital transformation of their business with the objectives of:
- minimizing the waste in human resources,
- reducing the damages to brand reputation caused by accidents or lost, damaged or misplaced goods,
- increasing workforce efficiency and more effective management.
This approach is based on a close collaboration between Konica Minolta and the customer thanks to our Customer-Centric AI Project Cycle, a thorough methodology that tackles the issue from various points of view and with different tools, to ensure the successful development of AI projects.
The last step of this virtuous cycle is the combination of our AI-based algorithms with the current set of Mobotix IoT cameras, creating a solution that is both effective and highly adaptable.
AI AT THE SERVICE OF QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY
The first project regarding VSS implemented by Konica Minolta Digital Services R&D, the Box Defect Detection system, has already received positive reports from customers. This solution, which uses computer vision to detect cracks, foreign objects, contaminations, and other anomalies of delivery boxes in a production line, can bring an added value to the business, such as 24/7 unattended service, reducing idle time and human resources deployment, saving production costs, minimizing human error, and increasing production quality.
VSS AND WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT: TWO POSSIBLE USE CASES
While the deployment of VSS is aimed at maximizing production line efficiency and minimizing human error and production costs, the true strength of this approach lies in its wide array of possible implementations. Production line management involves a variety of different daily challenges to overcome. Empowering Mobotix cameras through the use of AI allows the business to implement a single, universal platform to tackle multiple issues at once, detecting possible problems, notifying the human operator through the dashboard, and allowing a quick and precise check.
To tackle possible security breaches, for example, the system interprets the video sequences, detecting if an operator is spending too much time near confidential documents or if they are stealing confidential information. The security manager is immediately notified through the dashboard and can retrieve the images from the relevant cameras, identifying the nature of the alert. This allows both a real-time response to the problem and minimization of human resource deployment, as there’s no need to constantly monitor every camera feed.
Safety concerns are also one of the daily issues a production line manager has to deal with: work-related injuries and accidents, which beyond the immediate human impact, may lead to a poor public reputation, production delays, and management problems due to either replacing the injured worker whilst they recover. Monitoring and enforcing the correct use of protective equipment and safe work practices require, again, constant monitoring, causing a rise in production costs and inefficiency in the use of human resources. Using computer vision allows the system to recognize dangerous, improper, or suspicious behaviour, notifying the human operator through the dashboard and enabling the same quick and efficient check previously illustrated.
THE REAL STRENGTH OF VSS: WIDE AND CUSTOMIZED APPLICATIONS
The real strength of the VSS approach lies in its wide potential applications. The Suspicious Behaviour Detection system can be implemented keeping the same software platform with a wide array of compatible cameras to truly support the digital transformation of businesses and companies.
Video Solutions Services enable a comprehensive approach ensuring:
- Solutions Tailored to specific customer’s needs
- Reduction of human resources waste and maximization of efficiency and value
- Increased efficiency of production line management
- Compatibility with a wide variety of hardware and future-proof through software updates.
As the number of use cases increases, we refine our algorithms thanks to field data and customer feedback, enabling additional improvement of AI-training programs, and ultimately leading to unparalleled accuracy and adaptability to new environments. At the same time, accessibility for human operators is secured by an easy-to-use and human-centered User Interface of our platform.
To find out how these solutions could apply to your industry, get in touch with our researchers today.
