A7 Integration

Collaboration 4.0: Manufacturing, meet next-level video

Two workers with helmets looking at pipes in a factory.

The context

Our client A7 Integration is an engineering and machining company that specializes in manufacturing high-performance metal parts used in airplanes. One of the challenges was in the communication between machine operators and engineers. With the creation of A7 remote assist, Osedea has contributed to reducing machine downtime by facilitating collaboration between operators and engineers, and here is how we did it.

Project details

Industry

Manufacturing

Technologies

ReactJS

Docker

Node.js

Services

Development

Design

The challenge

At the A7 Integration plant, mechanical engineers write computer programs that are executed by machines that cut the metal - but while the machines are incredibly sophisticated, the programs don’t always produce the intended result, and adjustments sometimes need to be made during the parts production process. Before Osedea came on the scene, troubleshooting these manufacturing mistakes involved the machine operator calling up the mechanical engineer (who might be at another job site) and trying to explain the issue with the newly machined part. This led to a lot of tedious back and forth and lost productivity, which got our client thinking about how they could digitize the process to make everyone’s lives easier.

Employee looking at a cable with security glasses.

The task at hand

A7 Integration came to Osedea with an idea for a digital platform that would facilitate audio-video visualization and seamless communication between machine operators and mechanical engineers. We helped them flesh it out into something epic and business-transforming that lets team members who aren’t physically present at the plant easily give feedback to machine operators - keeping production on schedule and on budget. At the heart of this system (it’s called A7 Remote Assist) is a network of remote-controllable cameras that use highly optimized video feeds. Now off-site engineers can connect to the system, see a map of all the cameras in the plant, and pick which cameras they want to use to watch the machine cutting a piece of metal - in real-time, from many different angles. They can also talk to the machine operators and ask them to make adjustments to the machining process as it happens.

Photo of the A7 Integration app with data.

A7 application showing different areas of the plant with integrated cameras.

The end result

At Osedea, we thrive on mastering new aspects of tech, so this project was a blast to work on. We had to find a way to completely mitigate lag and choppiness in a system that runs multiple video feeds at once, and we succeeded. The quality of the video that the engineers have access to really is second-to-none. Thanks to the end product we delivered, for A7 Integration, getting the job done right the first time has become their new normal. And not only that, they’ve been able to resell the A7 Remote Assist system to other machining plants, creating a brand new revenue stream based on the digital offering we built for them.