Safety and continuous improvement are such cornerstones of the work culture that manufacturers have been quick to initiate process and work area improvements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a National Association of Manufacturers outlook survey, 77 percent of manufacturers say they are reevaluating what work could be done remotely, and 66 percent plan to alter work areas with social distancing in mind. Although some see these technological upgrades as a future state, many production floors already reflect a Manufacturing 4.0 concept. Being able to see and control continuous manufacturing processes like those in the petrochemical industry from remote locations is not new. For years, many control rooms have been driven by logic controllers visible to employees in their homes via cloud services. Controlling these processes remotely is a choice that can be made.
Although many companies are planning to embrace remote work as a long-term operating priority, this is not fully possible for technical and craft jobs as tasks require hands-on performance. The necessity of production area workers to be physically located at the plant site still exists, but how they interact with each other and with knowledge workers is changing.
Augmented reality (AR) can be utilized by production workers for remote support, troubleshooting and training. During troubleshooting activities, support personnel anywhere in the world can drop a 3-D simulation of the equipment onto the factory floor via an AR headset, which can see both the real world and the simulation simultaneously. Pfizer uses AR to train production workers in the pharmaceutical process. BID Group and OMAS use AR to explain equipment commissioning processes and ongoing support maintenance processes. As organizations incorporate cross-functionality and high-performance work teams, the problem of retaining skills seldom performed arises. AR can change training from "in advance, just in case" to "just in time, in full context."
Video calls can be used in a similar way in the production area with one phone viewing a person and the other viewing a broken machine. Imagery can be sent to phones with tethered devices such as camera- glasses and GoPro live streams. Drones are being used for site security and pipeline inspections. Plant workers at Chevron collaborate on video calls, allowing remote experts to assess the problem and make recommendations. HoloLens goggles project an interactive screen that shows the video call along with the documents and mark-ups from the expert dialed in from afar.
As a result of COVID-19 and new ways of living, consumer demand for products has changed. As supply and demand shift, the volume of workers needed is directly impacted. For example, before the pandemic, millennials ate very little packaged food. They leaned heavily toward farm-to-table and organic options, and instant food companies were struggling. Now, these companies cannot make enough of these products. Other products that have seen noticeable demand reduction include travel and cosmetics, while demand for hygiene and personal protective products have increased. However, the key will be how long this issue lasts or if it becomes permanent. Andreas Fibig, chairman and CEO of International Flavors & Fragrances, believes it will be at least two years before we return to normal.
The pandemic also shined a light on a major supply chain issue in the U.S. in which companies are realizing they have over-relied on China and others (too many eggs in one basket). Reportedly, 35.5 percent of manufacturers are facing supply chain disruptions, and everyone is reevaluating their own supply chain. To a degree, this was already happening because of the existing trade war, but the pandemic has vastly accelerated the process. It has become clear that supply chains are currently too rigid, and noticeable production could come back to the U.S. as a result, increasing the need for manufacturing workers.
For more information, contact Glenn E. Johnson at Glenn.Johnson@BASF.com.
