Amsterdam, 14 October 2021 – Production companies such as FrieslandCampina and Jacobs Douwe Egberts are enhancing safety, quality and efficiency by ensuring that operators in their production facilities have access to digital support. The task of the EZ GO app, developed by EZ Factory, is essentially to provide that support. EZ Factory is a software company that has been selected to take part in the Netherlands trade mission to the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) tech fair being held in Las Vegas from 5 to 8 January 2022. Having made inroads into the European and Asian markets, this start-up from the Dutch city of Eindhoven is now also making its debut on the American market. While attending the CES, it will be presenting a technology breakthrough that will bring about substantial improvements within production facilities. On 14 October, the press will have an opportunity to get to know the company during the CES Unveiled event at RAI Amsterdam.
The biggest tech fair in the world
Not only is the CES is the most important tech fair in the world, but it is also an international podium for innovation. Each year, the event brings together more than 180,000 participants from over 160 countries. A mission from the Netherlands will be participating in the CES from 5 to 8 January 2022 and EZ Factory has been selected as one of the 50 start-ups to form part of the ‘Netherlands Tech Square’. One of the criteria used by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency when selecting the participants was that they should be providing ground-breaking, innovative technology that is contributing towards a ‘responsible future’ and that has the potential to be used in large-scale applications. The participants will be announced at the CES Unveiled event and will have an opportunity to introduce themselves. The event is being held at RAI Amsterdam on 14 October 2021, from 09.30 to 16.30.
The EZ GO app and platform
The EZ GO app, combined with the interconnected data platform, supports production on the shop floor at operator level, visibly and measurably improving safety, quality and the efficiency of the production process. Digitizing first-line maintenance tasks, checklists, audits, training and work instructions forms the initial task in that regard. The platform also generates smart data analytics that enable process optimization. The company’s founders, Randy Appiah and Robert Bouwman, have a background in production themselves and have based the solution on their own experiences. As Randy Appiah explains: “Often, people overthink things when it comes to improving production processes. At EZ Factory, we start on the shop floor with the people who turn out the products on a day-to-day basis – the operators. While the back-end of the system is highly sophisticated, the front-end is very simple to use and includes items such as short instructional videos and easy-to-use checklists. What is more, linking it to other systems is a straightforward process.”
Het platform voor elke fabriek
Verbeter de veiligheid, kwaliteit en efficiency door het digitaliseren van papieren formulieren, lijsten en andere documenten op de fabrieksvloer.
Overview and improvement
One of the company’s earliest customers is FrieslandCampina, a company for which fulfilling high standards in terms of food safety and operational efficiency is a requirement. FrieslandCampina has been using the platform since 2018. The Continuous Improvement Manager involved in the implementation says: “Not only does EZ-GO provide us with an overview and allow us to control our operations and improve our process, but we can also improve our safety, quality and efficiency as well. The EZ GO app makes improvements happen.”
Breakthrough – improving processes by harnessing data
At CES 2022, which takes place from 5 to 8 January in Las Vegas, EZ Factory will be presenting something new – the skills booster. Robert Bouwman: “The skills booster is made up of two parts. While the EZ GO app itself makes the training of new operators simple and safeguards the knowledge of experienced operators, the data module linked to it shows how processes are running on a practical level. This provides an insight into the training needs of individual operators or teams and highlights the points at which a process is faltering and could benefit from improvement. The skills booster module is one of the solutions we will be presenting at CES 2022.” This is one of the many applications, added Randy Appiah. “The analytical capabilities of this platform make it possible to provide operations management support on a whole host of fronts.” The company is growing fast and therefore hopes that at CES 2022, it will come into contact with new corporate users, but also with partners from areas such as technology, marketing and sales. Now that the company has consolidated its presence in Europe and Asia, it is in the process of expanding its operational reach to include the USA.
About EZ Factory
EZ Factory develops innovative and user-friendly apps that support and optimize operational processes in production facilities. These ‘bottom-up’ tools make it possible for operators, technicians and team leaders to work more efficiently and improve processes on a continuous basis. Checklists, work instructions, autonomous maintenance tasks and audits therefore become much simpler and more visual and results are immediately available in real time on a dashboard. The EZ GO app is used by well-known companies such as Heineken, FrieslandCampina and Jacobs Douwe Egberts. EZ GO simplifies the work of front-line employees while boosting safety, quality and productivity. EZ Factory believes in the power of those who actually make the products and always ensures that its apps are developed with those people’s perspectives in mind. That is why the company’s motto is: “Power to the operator!”