SECI Model Combined with ISO 9001 2015 to Support Organizational KM for Manual Assembly Manufacturing Operations

In a large number of industrial sectors, manual assembly manufacturing operations highly engage tacit knowledge at an individual level. Companies in these sectors need to effectively manage organizational knowledge since it represents a real performance and sustainability lever. Although knowledge management (KM) specialists developed several models, these latter remain difficult to implement due to several barriers and limitations related to industrial reality and models ambiguity. This paper proposes an organizational knowledge management (OKM) framework for manual assembly manufacturing operations that is based on ISO 9001:2015 and SECI conversion cycle. This framework offers guidance for implementing a KM approach within the quality management system (QMS) allows to manage knowledge differently with regards to its tacitness level and overcomes many of the most common KM limitations. An experimental application based on a single case research design in an aeronautical assembly company is conducted to confirm the applicability and effectiveness of the framework suggested.

Augmented Reality Applications in Industry 4.0 Environment

New technologies, such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, wireless communications, etc., have already become part of our daily lives. This paper provides an insight into one of the new technologies, i.e., augmented reality (AR), as part of the manufacturing paradigm Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The aim of this paper is to contribute to the current state in the field of AR by assessing the main areas of the application of AR, the used devices and the tracking methods in support of the digitalization of the industry. Searches via Science Direct, Google Scholar and the Internet in general have resulted in the collection of a large number of papers. The examined works are classified according to several criteria and the most important data resulting from them are presented here. A comprehensive analysis of the literature has indicated the main areas of application of AR in I4.0 and, among these, those that stand out are maintenance, assembly and human robot collaboration. Finally, a roadmap for the application of AR in companies is proposed and the most promising future areas of research are listed.

shARe-IT: Ad hoc Remote Troubleshooting through Augmented Reality

10 years ago, Castellani et al. (Journal of Computer Supported Cooperative Work, vol. 18, no. 2–3, 2009, pp. 199–227, 2009) showed that using just an audio channel for remote troubleshooting can lead to a range of problems and already envisioned a future in which augmented reality (AR) could solve many of these issues. In the meantime, AR technologies have found their way into our everyday lives and using such technologies to support remote collaboration has been widely studied within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work. In this paper, we contribute to this body of research by reporting on an extensive empirical study within a Fab Lab of troubleshooting and expertise sharing and the potential relevance of articulation work to their realization. Based on the findings of this study, we derived design challenges that led to an AR-based concept, implemented as a HoloLens application, called shARe-it. This application is designed to support remote troubleshooting and expertise sharing through different communication channels and AR-based interaction modalities. Early testing of the application revealed that novel interaction modalities such as AR-based markers and drawings play only a minor role in remote collaboration due to various limiting factors. Instead, the transmission of a shared view and especially arriving at a shared understanding of the situation as a prerequisite for articulation work continue to be the decisive factors in remote troubleshooting.

Task Analysis for Developing Maintenance and Assembly VR Training Simulators

Task analysis for the development of a virtual reality (VR) training system requires analysis and identification of the operator’s interactions with the real-world system and of the objectives of training and the trainee’s skill acquisition requirements. A task analysis approach for developing VR training simulators is presented that is based on analyzing the technology and training requirements concurrently. This approach is compared with traditional approaches for system development, with examples provided from the development of a VR training simulator for industrial maintenance and assembly tasks.