Going digital: how ACMA is innovating its offer with AI and IoT
Business has always been about serving the customer, but now, even more so. From hospitals to industrial manufacturers, everyone is going digital. Ten years ago, though, that was marketing jargon for setting up a Facebook page. Today, with the wealth of options made available by the knowledge economy, going digital refers to a profound change not only of how companies communicate with their customers, but also of how they operate. Companies around the world are on the lookout for new solutions to expand their offer. Most forward-looking enterprises are turning to IoT and AI to rethink their business models and find new ways to serve their customers, both remotely and in presence. It is the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0 - a massive transition from traditional manufacturing to Industrial IoT as a service. Computer Vision, Internet of Things technologies, and Edge Computing are the pillars on which the new economy is being built.
ACMA, a leading manufacturer of automatic packaging machines in the consumer goods market, is no stranger to this paradigm shift. The company, always looking for digital solutions to innovate its business, is redesigning its commercial offer around the changing economic landscape. Among the novelties, the most promising ones are Remote FAT, Remote Assistance, Predictive Maintenance, and a brand-new Human Machine Interface named OptiMate.
Remote FAT
The digital revolution affects not only commerce, but industries of all kinds. Thanks to video and live streaming, machinery producers can reinvent how they conduct standard procedures such as FAT. FAT stands for Factory Acceptance Testing, i.e. the official test taking place after purchase and agreed upon by the customer and the manufacturer. During FAT, both the customer and the manufacturer verify that the machinery is properly built and works in accordance with contractual arrangements. Usually, the customer inspects the machinery first-hand to get a sense of its performance. With Remote FAT, though, the customer can carry out Factory Acceptance Testing remotely.
Remote FAT offers three options: video, live streaming and interactive live streaming. Whatever the option, both parties first establish what is going to be tested during the procedure, and ACMA arranges the cameras accordingly.
As regards the first option, ACMA shoots a video showing the agreed upon test and sends it to the customer, so that he can comfortably watch it whenever it suits him best.
With the second option, the customer can log into a private live streaming virtual room and supervise the test as it takes place, yet without interaction with ACMA’s operators.
Finally, the third option enables the customer to be in constant contact with ACMA's operators and ask them to move the cameras as it sees fit, so as to closely inspect the most interesting areas of the machinery.
Remote Assistance
ACMA’s Remote Assistance stems from the need to streamline and optimize the customer experience as far as technical assistance is concerned. Compared to traditional technical assistance tools, ACMA’s Remote Assistance truly narrows the gap between the customer and ACMA’s technical service center by providing the former with visual and immediate support.