7 Benefits of Worker Guidance Using a Digital Worker Guidance System

What is worker guidance?

A worker guidance system is a system that provides workers in industrial production with instructions, information and any visual material required for the respective work step. In principle, a worker guidance system can also be a paper-based work instruction, but the term has become established primarily for digital systems in the course of digitalization.

Digital worker guidance makes it possible to guide workers interactively step by step through their work order. At each step, the worker receives the required information, can record data and provide feedback. Such a worker guidance system contributes directly to increasing efficiency, avoiding errors and ensuring quality.

This already shows that a worker guidance system can do far more than simply instruct workers: As well as being used in assembly, worker guidance systems can be used for quality assurance, material tracking, maintenance processes and even for training new employees. Digital worker guidance is an essential part of modern production and can be used across all roles and systems.

Incidentally, we use worker guidance and worker guidance system largely synonymously with worker assistance and worker assistance system. Both stand for digital solutions to support and relieve your production employees.

What types of worker guidance are there?

When we talk about worker guidance or worker guidance systems, it is always important to differentiate which systems are available on the market. There is a large selection and not every system is suitable for every area of application.

Digital platforms for work instructions

Digital software platforms for work instructions are replacing what used to be Excel files or printed manuals. With such a platform, you can create work instructions, enrich them with the necessary parts list information and release them for processing. It provides you with an intuitively understandable representation of the work steps, reduces the risk of errors and can often be connected to existing systems such as ERP and MES. In addition, such a platform can also be used for communication between workers and managers.

Workstation systems

These worker guidance systems are also based on software, but they also include a complete hardware workstation. The workstation is usually designed for specific production processes and consists of a monitor on which the required content is visualized, as well as an assembly table, shelves, storage containers, lighting, tool holders, etc. The worker guidance system can be precisely dovetailed with the physical conditions. The worker guidance can be precisely interlinked with the physical conditions and connected to a signal transmitter for material selection, for example.

Augmented reality

AR technology allows you to project digital information onto the physical working environment in real time. With appropriate AR glasses, workers receive information on assembly steps, troubleshooting or quality checks directly in their field of vision.

Wearables

Wearable devices such as smartwatches, wristbands or smart gloves can also transmit instructions to the worker. You can also use sensors to record data on working times, movements or environmental conditions. In this way, they can supplement a software-based digital worker guidance system and simplify individual steps.

This is just a selection of basic systems. There are also many specialized forms of worker guidance. But one thing should be emphasized: The basis of all these systems is always a powerful software platform that provides all the functions for specific worker guidance.

7 Advantages of digital worker guidance

Reduce the workload of your employees

Probably the most important reason for digital worker guidance is the possibility to noticeably decrease the workload of your employees. Your workers no longer have to spend time gathering documents and interpreting instructions. You provide your employees with the necessary information for the respective work step digitally, according to qualification and without misunderstanding, so that your workers can fully concentrate on their value-adding activities.

Avoid errors, increase product quality

By using a worker guidance system to create work plans step by step and enrich them with information, you describe even complex issues precisely and unambiguously. This reduces the sources of errors, misinterpretations and minimizes ambiguities. If necessary, you can check the correct execution using a test step - an invaluable advantage of digital worker guidance compared to paper and Excel.

Consistent documentation

Worker guidance always brings along the possibility of documentation. In contrast to paper-based work management, however, digital systems enable automatic logging during work execution. Every digitally guided step is documented in the worker guidance system and its results are stored. You benefit from complete traceability of all orders. You can use the data obtained to identify bottlenecks or inefficient workflows and thus optimize processes and use resources more efficiently. For your workers, additional documentation efforts are eliminated, while at the same time data, results and measured values cannot be lost.

Transparency regarding the current status

Modern digital worker guidance systems can be used by different roles in your company together. Workers work with the same system as plan creators or schedulers. This enables maximum transparency about current order statuses.

For management, this means above all: you don't have to wait for paper- or Excel-based documents to be transferred.

Employee satisfaction through reliable processes and better communication

With a worker guidance system, you establish standardized processes that give your employees security and thus reduce their workload. In addition, modern systems enable bidirectional communication between shopfloor and topfloor. Employees can provide feedback at any time and enter into an exchange quickly and easily.

Simplify training processes

Thanks to a high degree of interactivity and all the necessary information, digital worker guidance software quickly and efficiently trains your employees for new processes. Visual support and knowledge-based process guidance accelerate the learning process, shorten training times and save employee resources. The result is faster training and thus more flexible workforce planning.

Mobility

A particular advantage of digital worker guidance as a software platform is the ability of workers to be mobile. Digital worker guidance systems follow modern layout and usability trends and can therefore be used barrier-free on large displays as well as on tablets, smartphones or specialized industrial hardware. For your workers, this means that they can work with one and the same solution on all end devices - without interruptions or synchronization problems.

Why is a particularly flexible worker guidance system like weasl the best choice for modern worker guidance?

Worker guidance with a digital system can bring you and your company noticeably forward. The prerequisite for this is that the worker guidance system fits your needs and use cases perfectly. But is this even possible with standard software? Yes, it works perfectly, as long as the software is flexible enough to adapt to your circumstances. Our worker guidance or worker assistance system weasl has everything you need for this.

With weasl, you are relying on a particularly flexible system that:

• can map your processes as they really are. weasl can implement linear sequences as well as complex process paths and decision trees. This means you are equipped for all conceivable process variants - today and in the future.

• can provide all the required media. Images and text are often not enough. Our system therefore also understands Excel, CAD and co.

• can communicate with your existing systems. weasl comes with open interfaces to connect your systems or to be integrated into your systems.

• is flexibly expandable. Requirements change and your worker guidance system should be able to grow with new tasks - modularly or through individual apps. No problem with weasl.

• fits your operating model. Can you operate a SaaS environment or should the system run on your servers? weasl can do both and gives you maximum flexibility in operation.

• Weasl is open for various areas of application. Flexible software for worker guidance not only provides support in assembly, but also in maintenance, quality assurance and other areas. It facilitates the work of the worker as well as the dispatcher and the production manager.