The manufacturing sector has accelerated its adoption of digital signage as businesses seek more efficient ways to keep employees informed and motivated on the production floor. One particularly forward-thinking Connecticut-based manufacturer has embraced Visix AxisTV Signage Suite to bring greater visibility to production metrics throughout two of its manufacturing centers in different countries.
The company, founded in 1922 and celebrating its 100th year in business, had long shared printed reports generated from its ERP system with production staff in its Connecticut and Mexico plants. The process was convoluted and labor-intensive, requiring workers to print reports, combine information from different sources, and manually distribute copies to all individual work centers. The reports would quickly grow stale with outdated information before employees had time to absorb the data, and the cycle would soon begin anew and repeat itself with mixed results. That made sharing key performance indicators and metrics on the production of its storage cabinets, material handling, and other industrial products a substantial burden.
That has changed since rolling out AxisTV Signage Suite to 65 screens across the two production plants. Data extraction from the ERP system is now completely automated and information on production goals, efficiency, shipments, and more are presented realtime in a visually engaging manner. The company now has 65 Visix Nano micro media players that immediately bring production KOI data to life, eliminating hours of manual collating and posting of reports that often went unseen.
The screens are installed in high-visibility areas on the manufacturing floors, and the Visix software seamlessly operates with the company’s ERP system to gather data and keep the information flowing. That part was very important to the customer, as most digital signage systems only integrate with very specific ERP solutions. Visix proved the most reliable digital signage platform for pulling data from many varied sources.
The software-defined solution leverages conditional logic capabilities built into AxisTV Signage Software to reliably present the information that matters most in the moment. This includes rules that map key widgets together and instruct the software what data and artwork to display. Network operators can show information in a message or layout that inspire employees in the moment, such as when numbers come in showing that production goals were met.
The compact size of the Nano media player has been an extra bonus on the manufacturing floor, as the players fit comfortably within custom-built protective screen enclosures. The Nano’s 2.75” x 2.75” x 1.25” size makes for a cleaner installation within enclosures that have limited space. The players are easy to conceal and seamlessly connect to the company’s Wi-Fi network.
With the initial digital signage system live and working flawlessly, company management is now considering a Phase 2 rollout that would extend the network into meeting spaces. In addition to providing digital signage content on meeting room displays, the initiative will add Visix EPS electronic paper room signs outside shared spaces to display meeting room schedules. The rollout will also further leverage the Visix Professional Services team, which provided graphic design services and developed visual templates that ideally represent the company’s brand.
The combination of Visix’s data-driven CMS, flexible player hardware and creative services helped the company quickly get off the ground with digital signage upon entering its second century in business – and will continue to help them succeed in their mission of connecting and engaging personnel across two countries.