Today’s digital landscape is evolving rapidly. Organizations are harnessing technology to further drive innovation, streamline operations and boost business agility. Not only do these changes optimize processes, but they also create efficiency and support more fulfilling and valuable employee roles. Automation is taking over repetitive tasks, allowing human expertise to focus more on creative and strategic endeavors. This article delves into the realm of modern Human Machine Interface (HMI) software and explores how it is revolutionizing the roles of software designers and operators within organizations.
Facilitating Seamless Designer Collaboration
It is common for multiple designers to work simultaneously on the same project in the field of software and application design. It is thereby imperative that designers have easy, flexible, secure and transparent collaboration, whether in an office or remotely from home or in the field. Consistent access to high-quality tools and a seamless user experience is key to optimizing design collaboration.
Real-time project visibility holds paramount importance during the design phase, especially when multiple team members are involved. No visibility can lead to difficulties tracking progress, identifying parties making changes and understanding the reasoning behind those changes. Duplicated efforts and overwriting can cause project delays and wasted design resources and budget.
This is where modern HMI software collaboration tools come into play. These tools offer comprehensive project visibility within a collaborative design environment, connecting designers with timely, pertinent information necessary for quick and informed decision-making. HMI's integration with cloud or web-based tools empowers teams to design and deploy applications remotely and implement changes or updates seamlessly within the production environment.
The Value of Centralized Repository Integration
With multiple developers augmenting, developing and testing each other's work, real-time or sequential collaboration calls for robust code management and version control mechanisms. A centralized project repository, such as GitHub, assumes a pivotal role. Design tools and code can seamlessly integrate into the centralized repository within the HMI, allowing multiple users to make changes and merge the changes into the master version. It also helps identify and resolve potential duplication of efforts internally.
Centralized integration provides teams with a holistic view of a project's status. Teams can easily identify who made changes and access different versions of individual components as well as the entire application, right within the design tool. This empowers Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to engage with customers, facilitate application building, share ideas, exchange code snippets, troubleshoot solutions and evaluate objects and demo applications through a shared, centralized repository.
Another significant advantage of HMI design tools is the creation of reusable code libraries stored within the centralized code repository. This readily accessible code can be reused within the organization and customized for various applications. The assurance of reliability and proven performance in the field makes these code modules a valuable resource for designers, allowing them to drag-and-drop them into their code blocks and build the application's distinguishing features around them.
Operators Empowered
Once a project is developed, deployed, and operational on the factory floor, it falls under the purview of operators. If there’s an alarm or other issue, they must be able to notify relevant personnel for troubleshooting. Remote access tools for maintenance play a pivotal role in empowering operators. They allow the timely flagging of issues and the notification of maintenance engineers. Depending on complexity, the problem may be resolved through the built-in chat tool, with the operator describing the issue while maintenance offers potential solutions. Some issues may require escalation and with remote access in HMI tools, maintenance engineers can view the operator's screen. This collaboration enables them to identify and resolve issues, make necessary changes, and deploy those changes remotely. Any maintenance-related changes to a running application are saved in the cloud repository, ensuring the application runs the most up-to-date version.
For OEMs, the ability to connect with customers via HMI tools provides substantial business value in terms of remote support and issue resolution. This not only saves time but also reduces costs associated with on-site visits. The ultimate benefit for both OEMs and customers is that swift problem triage and resolution enhance uptime, contributing to improved business continuity.
Wrapping Up
A modern HMI removes barriers to valuable information and supplying access to data and applications irrespective of location. Teams can easily and transparently collaborate on application designs, with development streamlined and stored in a shared centralized repository. This enhanced clarity optimizes and expedites the development cycle, ensuring all stakeholders have access to up-to-date information, with updates and changes clearly documented to avoid redundant work.
On the operational front, HMI tools empower operators to promptly identify and respond to production issues. Instead of constantly monitoring alarms, operators can receive remote notifications and take immediate action or escalate for remote maintenance support and resolution.
The broader benefits for enterprises include the optimization of design, operational, and maintenance resources, shorter design cycles, faster time to market, and swifter issue resolution. These outcomes can drive improved revenues, operational excellence, and heightened customer satisfaction.
