Smart glasses for better visibility

09.05.2017

Remote Assist is an innovative service concept which enables Romaco to support machines in real time. Four machines at the trade fair booth will be equipped with smart glasses. The technology permits virtual communication between machine operators and service technicians.

Romaco Service will take advantage of interpack 2017 to show Internet enabled smart glasses, which allow the manufacturer’s machines to be monitored from a distance. These glasses connect the responsible Romaco technician to the machine operator at the user via a Wi-Fi interface. Customers requiring urgent assistance to operate their equipment can now opt for virtual support from Romaco. A camera integrated in the glasses transfers its perspective of the machine directly to the Romaco hotline employee’s monitor. The Romaco support team can form their own picture of the situation in the field by live stream and take action accordingly. Machine operators anywhere in the world can be issued with targeted instructions, for example during the ramp-up phase, format changes or repairs. Thanks to the resolution of 800x600 pixels or more, Romaco can also show the operator important information on the system’s transparent screen. Each pair of smart glasses is moreover provided with a microphone and headphones for audio communication.

The use of smart glasses in customer service saves time and money because minor faults or error messages can be dealt with quickly and easily. This in turn means less downtime and significantly better OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). “Smart glasses are an instrument for the factories of the future; their advent is definitely a milestone for service activities of all kinds”, explains Gero von Stackelberg, Product Manager Customer Service at Romaco. “The ability to communicate virtually simplifies our hotline team’s daily work, while our customers profit from efficient and affordable services.”

Visitors to the trade fair will have a chance to try out this innovative Industry 4.0 technology on four different machines at the Romaco booth. An Innojet V 100 processing machine, a Kilian KTP 590X tablet press, a Noack NBP 950 blister machine and a Promatic PCI 915 cartoner will each be equipped with smart glasses especially for interpack 2017. These glasses are an important element of Romaco’s Remote Assist service concept.

Romaco’s Remote Assist service concept

Romaco Services will present Remote Assist at interpack 2017 as a next-generation concept for remote online support. The system bridges the physical distance to the customer by exchanging data directly with machines in the field. Romaco HMI terminals are configured with a “Call 4 Service” button for this purpose. A push of this button is all it takes to initiate a service assignment via the Romaco ticket system. All relevant data, including the error message, is then forwarded via a secure connection to Romaco’s central support platform. This concept enables rapid troubleshooting, for instance because valuable diagnostic time is economised. In the second step, the Romaco experts set to work to find a solution without delay. The number one priority is to restrict machine downtime to a bare minimum. Using a status app, owners of Romaco-built equipment can check the status of their machines at any time via the manufacturer’s customer portal. The Remote Assist concept introduced by Romaco gives an entirely new meaning to the term “close to the customer”.

More information on Romaco services at interpack in Dusseldorf/Germany from May 4 to 10, 2017 (Hall 16, Stand D15).

The Romaco Group

Romaco is a leading global supplier of Processing and Packaging equipment, predominantly for the pharmaceutical industry. Divided into three business areas, Processing, Tableting and Packaging, the company develops engineered system solutions for the pharmaceutical market, but also supplies the cosmetics, food and chemical markets. Romaco operates from four European locations with the headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany. The company serves the multiple industries through a total of eight brands: The packaging product lines Noack, Siebler, Bosspak, Macofar, Promatic and Unipac are manufactured in Karlsruhe, Germany and in Bologna, Italy. The tableting product line Kilian is produced in German Cologne while the Innojet product line in German Steinen is responsible for granulation and coating. Romaco’s product portfolio includes primary, secondary and final packaging, aseptic and non-aseptic liquid and powder filling, tablet press technologies, granulation and coating. Over 12,000 Romaco installations are currently in operation in more than 180 countries. The company’s worldwide customer base is supplied and supported by over 550 highly skilled and committed employees.

In 2014 the Romaco Group was voted by “Wirtschaftswoche”, the prestigious German business weekly as one of Germany’s best 50 innovators among small and medium-sized enterprises. In this corporate benchmarking contest, Romaco was named runner-up in the “Process and Packaging Machinery” category. In the “Pharmaceutical Machinery” segment, the Group was awarded first prize.

For more information about the Romaco Group, visit www.romaco.com