OCTOBER 2020 COVER STORY
15
MAKING
CONNECTIONS
As the world gets to grips with the new way of
working, fast and reliable connectivity has never
been more important – something that too many
manufacturers neglect to consider
BY CHRIS BECK
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
It’s been a common sight in the past few
months. You’re on a Zoom call with the board
when the picture freezes right as you’re
getting to the important point. The words
‘Poor Connection’ appear on the screen as
your colleagues look bemused. Embarrassing,
but it can be laughed off and the conversation
picked up as the connection returns.
Now imagine you were on the shopfloor,
monitoring a piece of equipment when suddenly
a warning message flashes up: ‘Temperature
critical. Urgent attention required.’ You quickly
reach for the radio to call in maintenance, but
the channel is busy. You hit the alarm button,
sounding a piercing klaxon through the factory,
causing confusion. Managers and maintenance
staff run around the shopfloor, desperately
looking for the source of the issue. Meanwhile,
you’re trying to flag them down while also trying
to prevent a plant-critical failure.
Scenarios like this may be extreme, but they
demonstrate the danger of not having adequate
communications infrastructure in place. That’s
the opinion of Shachar Harari, chief business
officer at wireless intercom solutions provider,
Cardo Crew (pictured below right). “Being able
to communicate clearly and effectively across
large distances with no line of sight, not
only keeps people safe but also boosts
productivity,” he says. “People should be
able to communicate while keeping both
hands in operation on a task.”
Protecting remote workers
This is even more of a critical issue
in the current environment of
social distancing. Lone workers
have become a more prominent
feature on shopfloors as the
pandemic leaves organisations
with depleted workforces
and altered shift schedules as
workers are forced to isolate
with symptoms or even
shield entirely. While working
alone is necessary to stop the
spread of coronavirus, it
creates additional risks to
worker safety.
“There will always be an
increased level of risk for lone
workers, with one of the most
obvious being that there is
no-one to call on if they get
into difficulty,” says Naz Dossa,
CEO of lone worker protection
specialists, Peoplesafe. “Lone
workers often have to make
‘on the spot’ safety decisions;
without colleagues to consult,
they are more susceptible to
making poor decisions. If an
injury were to occur out of the
sight and sound of others, it
increases the likelihood of a
delay in getting help.”
Again, effective
communications
technology will help
here, Dossa continues.
“It’s vital to establish
effective means of
communication with
lone workers, providing
them with support and
protection from a
distance.”
Cardo
Crew
has
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk