“With the travel freeze, imposed by the pandemic, there was a risk of huge economic damage. Think about related processes, such as the certifications for vehicles used on a construction site. Without an inspection and a final certificate, a crane cannot be used for safety and insurance reasons, for example. Everything completely halts, with incalculable losses.
Astron Group, however, was far-sighted, focusing on smart glasses and the Eye4Task software for remote certification. So our activities continued in total safety.”
This is what Franz Pastori, Regional Manager – Europe & CIS, Key Account Manager Large Clients of Astron Group, says in this interview for E4Innovation.
Astron Group: remote certifications with smart glasses
Way before the lockdown, Astron Group had chosen the collaborative platform E4T to guarantee assistance and quality of services to its customers. By focusing on hi-tech remote solutions, connected to wearable devices, the company was able to avoid slowing down its workflow.
“When the pandemic started, some areas where we work already had problems: these areas in the desert, isolated, like in Saudi Arabia. Away from it all, work continued. But how to issue vehicles certifications?”
One of Astron Group’s main activities, in effect, is the certification of lifting equipment, such as cranes and forklifts used on construction sites. “If there is a crane whose certificate expires, the construction site, often made up of teams with 100-150 people, risks stopping. There are safety and insurance reasons. Therefore, the entity has to provide a certification. But with travel restrictions, how can specialists get to the field?”
New Technologies: Advantages of Remote Inspection
This is one of the critical issues that, as Pastori underlines once more, traditional technology cannot solve. “Monitoring and control activities, as a result of which a certification is issued in some cases, cannot be carried out through the traditional paradigm of the virtual room, 1 to 1, that is, pc-field. Whoever issues a certificate has to be 100% sure, has to see exactly what he needs in order to provide the required documentation.
Therefore, there has to be someone on the other side who frames the different objects. Smart glasses connected to the E4T software make all this possible, with enormous advantages deriving from the technology developed by HeadApp compared to everything else available on the market today” continues Pastori.
The inspector, in fact, can deal with the supplier on field, asking him to frame different points with his smart glasses. He has a series of advanced tools at his disposal. Thus, the inspection and the verification required to issue the certification are more accurate and precise. It also reduces intervention times and travel costs for experts, while maintaining high quality and safety standards on construction sites.
E4T: Stable Connection, Check-List, Reporting and Training
70% of Astron Group activities can be carried out remotely as if the experts were on the field. “With remote inspection, supported by E4T, we are able to cut down on travel costs and increase the available expertise, with experts connected in real time.
This technology developed by HeadApp is also very stable. In fact, it works with a very low bandwidth. This aspect – remarks Pastori – solves many critical issues, especially in our sites where there is no Wi-Fi. So with E4T we can perform a remote inspection even in delicate contexts.”
The check-list with tasks greatly reduces intervention and post-audit times. “The opportunity to preload the checklist dynamically, in addition to the remote inspection, brings down the reporting time. In fact, it becomes a review that, however, which is completely different from writing the report of the audit performed step-by-step from the beginning. Equally important are the videos for the training of new employees: as a matter of fact, the training period in our company becomes more effective.”
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