The answer to better shop floor productivity may be in the air
Research points to a surprisingly robust relationship between daily air pollution levels and worker productivity. It indicates that on average, a 10-unit increase in the Air Quality Index (AQI) leads to a 0.35% decline in the number of calls handled by a service center worker. That finding suggests that workers are 5%–6% more productive when air pollution levels are rated as good (AQI of 0–50) versus when they are rated as unhealthy (AQI of 150–200). This is a metric that adds on to learning we already have around how poor air quality can adversely impact the functioning of factory floor equipment. For example, clean filters and ductwork reduce workload on fans, while clean heating and cooling coils transfer temperature more efficiently.
* Source: https://hbr.org/2016/09/air-pollution-is-making-office-workers-less-productive.
Finding and framing the real problem
The challenge then is to enable smart air quality monitoring - tracking several parameters as is necessary - to alert shop floor managers to the state of air quality and to guide their decisions around both predictive and preventive remediation measures.
Solving the Problem
Infosys has invested in developing an indoor air quality monitoring device that tracks parameters such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, humidity, particulate matter, temperature, and volatile organic compounds. A layer of analytics and business intelligence overlays this accumulation of granular data of ambient conditions to distill insights that then serve as the foundation for a wide range of remedial actions on the shop floor.
The solution integrates:
Cloud
To manage high volume, high velocity data from all designated monitoring stations.
Near real-time reporting
Data is streamed in real time using a NoSQL database for storage and retrieval.
Micro-services
To abstract data at the heart of reporting while enabling seamless integration with digital platforms as well as mobile and web apps.
Third-party integration
The open architecture of the solution facilitates easy integration with other applications in the landscapes.
Outcomes
- Predictive maintenance of equipment with parts like filters and ductworks (that are impacted by air quality) based on alerts from smart air quality monitoring device
- Early warning cues for dropping people productivity based on air quality index
- Offer air quality data to insurers ( of equipment and staff health) to enable differential premium based for “healthy indoor air quality”
