The recent rapid advances in technology have led to what is being described as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Author Klaus Schwab states that this era is defined by the way “technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and the internet of things are merging with humans’ physical lives.” While the technology of this current era understandably grabs the headlines, it is the “merging with humans’ physical lives” that will ultimately determine how successfully these transformations impact a business.
Flexco Elevate™ is an innovative, real-time belt cleaner monitoring system that harnesses the power of predictive analysis to remotely gather critical insights and optimize productivity, and it has the ability to streamline mining operations and heighten operational efficiencies. For example, one of Elevate’s features is a blade wear tracker for polyurethane precleaner blades. The ease of remotely measuring and visualizing insights about the blade wear can:
- Save time by minimizing physical inspections
- Save money and improve efficiencies by reallocating resources in lieu of inspections
- Improve safety by preventing unnecessary exposure to the conveyor system
- Afford skilled labor the opportunity to focus on other critical areas of the operation
This merging of technology and tasks traditionally performed by human workers illustrates the very real and measurable benefits an organization can realize by embracing the new technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But to truly harness the power of these tools and maximize their potential, it is imperative that organizations embrace a cultural shift along with a technological shift.
Flexco partnered with several customers on the development of Elevate to ensure a solution that could be integrated into existing operations as seamlessly as possible. The user experience has evolved greatly thanks to customer feedback on everything from the Flexco Elevate™ i3 Device installation to search functionality in the Flexco Elevate™ i3 Dashboard. In addition, thousands of hours were logged on rigorous field tests to ensure the product and process meet the user’s expectations. The result is a solution these operations were able to embrace and trust enough to evolve their daily routines, including significant reductions in manual belt inspections.
For the customers partnering with Flexco on trials of Elevate, having employees experience the benefits of the technology firsthand was all the motivation needed to prompt notable shifts in the culture and day-to-day operations of the job site. But for potential partners looking for ways to boost the rate of adoption, there are several strategies proven to help promote internal buy-in of such a significant technological transformation:
- Latch onto change advocates to propel ideas forward among peers
- Reinforce the benefits at an individual level as well as at the corporate level
- Use testimonials and feedback to illustrate the benefits of change
- Stress that technology will not replace human resources but enhance how they perform their jobs
With Flexco Elevate, we are building the infrastructure for a highly desired intelligence platform by leveraging the advancements in wireless communications, commoditized electronic components and a continuously learning artificial intelligence insights engine. For companies that support the elevation in technology with a committed transformation at the human level, the potential of Flexco Elevate will truly be maximized.
To learn more about Flexco Elevate, contact your local Flexco sales representative.
Authored by: Adam Ingraham, IOT Marketing Specialist at Flexco