Nice post on Eindhovens Dagblad this week, about the ambition of EZ Factory located in hub Beta at the High Tech Campus: to become the standard for factory work.
With the app EZ-GO, Robert and Randy want to make people's jobs easier on the shop floor. Operators often have hundreds of different tasks they have to do to keep the machines running. And that can be organized much easier and more fun with the developed app!
In the article, we read what the app can do. "Operators have to start up the line, for example, which is done step by step so there are no malfunctions," says Randy Appiah, founder of Eindhoven-based technology company EZ Factory. ''Furthermore, they have to make an inspection tour to make sure the floor is clean, check if stuff is in the right place, safety measures have been observed and if the conveyor belt has no damage. Some tasks must be done a few times a day, others once every few weeks."
What they need to do is in their heads, is on whiteboards, is in binders or is on an A4 sheet. When problems arise, the right papers have to be looked for to fix it. Appiah and Robert Bouwman thought it could be different and wanted to make the work easier for operators. So they started EZ Factory in 2017, and they developed the app EZ-GO that operators can use on the shop floor. "We want to help people in the factory make their work easier, more fun and more efficient," Bouwman explains. "A lot of work is done with paper, but that can be done differently," Appiah adds. ''That's why we started talking to operators about what the app should look like. Now they have everything together. They see on the app: what they have to do on that day, how to do it and when to do it."
Photos and videos
When operators enter the plant they can indicate on their tablet which line they are on. "Then they get to see what they have to do that day," Bouwman says. The app works a lot with pictures and videos. "There is very little text," says Appiah. ''Workers aren't going to read three pages, they're going to look at a picture or a 20-second video of how to shut off the air valve.'' The app is set up so that with its help anyone can do the work. We provide the structure and the people on the shop floor fill it in. They can add pictures and explain the work step by step. They know best how the work should be done."
Why is the app needed?
"Productivity is increased because employees don't waste time looking for forms and there are fewer breakdowns," Appiah replied. ''Tasks are not forgotten, which reduces the chance of breakdowns. Furthermore, everyone can do the work, so even if you're on a different line once, you know what to do."
EZ Factory targets manufacturing companies in the Netherlands and Belgium with offices abroad. Their app is used by several parties in the food industry, such as FrieslandCampina, Douwe Egberts and Heineken. "But we are also in other sectors," Bouwman says.
The start-up already won a Gerard and Anton Award, a prize for promising start-ups in the Brainport region, in the mid-2020s, and secured more than seven tons of investment in May. With that money, the Eindhoven-based company, which employs nine people, wants to further develop the app. "Ultimately, we need to become the standard for everyone working in a factory," Appiah is ambitious.
