Thursday March 28, 2024
19-06-20

ProGlove adds distancing sensors and signs IoT partnership

Barcode scanning specialist ProGlove has integrated proximity sensors to its products to help customers implement distancing rules amongst workers and signed an industrial IOT partnership with StayLinked.

The Munich, Germany-based technology company has upgraded its MARK family of wearable barcode scanners and ProGlove Connect app for Android with sensors to measure proximity among frontline workers in production, distribution warehouses and other locations.

“Our key customers are sharing with us the challenges they’re facing as they rethink and retool to restart operations,” explained CEO Andreas Koenig. “We faced similar challenges as we reviewed our own processes for safety and efficiency. It is our natural tendency, as humans, to want to go back to doing things the way we did them before, however, it’s not possible. Proper social distancing is now key to a successful return to work.”

The new ProGlove Connect Proximity app provides an additional layer of feedback on an Android device alone or when paired with a ProGlove MARK barcode scanner which rests on the employee’s hand.

When personally equipped with the MARK wearable scanner and paired Android device, workers coming within close proximity of each other are alerted. The alerts come to the workers via a full array of options on the wearable scanner including audio sound, optic LED light, and haptic vibration signals. This is important in a busy or noisy shop floor environment where an Android alert alone in a pocket could be easily overlooked.

“We tested the MARK upgrade in-house and it works beautifully. We’re now rolling it out on our own assembly line,” noted Konstantin Brunnbauer, VP of Production for ProGlove. “For my team it is easy to want to fall back into old patterns of working together but with this extra reminder we can maintain safe distance.”

ProGlove Connect Proximity is in beta and is phase one of the company’s software initiative to help its customers manage safe social distancing in the workplace. In phase two, device-level proximity data will be made available in ProGlove’s software application. Managers can then easily identify bottlenecks in the warehouse with this information and plan for modifications to layouts, schedules or workflows.

The app upgrade is available for free to current ProGlove customers. For new customers, starting in June, the app is a valuable feature on top of the advantages of a rugged lightweight wearable barcode scanner for safety and efficiency.

Separately, ProGlove has teamed up with StayLinked, a developer of modern mobile software and IoT integration platforms for legacy supply chain systems, in an integrated solutions partnership. Together they aim to streamline access to the efficiencies of mobility and process automation for companies in warehousing, distribution, and logistics.

“Industrial IoT integration has emerged as one of the more critical pieces for empowering workforces and increasing warehouse productivity,” said ProGlove CEO Andreas Koenig. “Our partnership with StayLinked has allowed our customers to use the latest ProGlove wearables, such as the MARK Display, to interface with existing warehouse systems in a reliable way, quickly and easily. It’s also now easy to work together with other emerging technologies without endless integration hurdles.”

Disruptions in the current global economy have prompted operations managers to quickly reexamine workflows to make them more efficient, productive and safe for their workers. Technologies which can be adopted quickly to meet these goals, like the MARK wearable barcode scanners from ProGlove, are a win for operators needing to pivot. The StayLinked.io platform enables companies to use the latest in automation and IIOT technologies including the MARK wearables with their existing applications – without unnecessary downtime, costs, or integration complexities. Entrenched warehouse management systems are no longer a barrier to adoption.

“With ProGlove as a StayLinked.io launch partner, our customers can now use ProGlove’s state-of-the-art MARK Display and entire MARK family of scanners without having to plan for time-consuming and expensive integration efforts,” commented Justin Griffith, CTO of StayLinked.

SourceProGlove
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