“We are constantly innovating. Our digitalisation roadmap, ergoscreening, and AI are all helping us in this,” says Tomáš Neškrabal from SKF.

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Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, ergonomics and automation – at the SKF plant in Chodov, near the Czech city of Karlovy Vary, all of these areas boost logistics and manufacturing. SKF, which is among the global leaders in centralised lubrication systems, is getting ready to build one of the most modern automatic warehouses in the Czech Republic. We spoke with Ing. Tomáš Neškrabal, the plant’s Logistics Leader, to learn what their digital transformation looks like in practice and what roles are being played by AI, mobile technologies, ergoscreening and more. Tomáš leads a team of more than one hundred employees.

What role does digitalisation play in your logistics and warehousing?

We could hardly imagine operations at our plant without digitalisation. Every year we prepare what we call a “digitalisation roadmap”, which sets the priorities for all three of our plants in Central Europe. We are a modern company, and we simply cannot make do without digitalisation. That’s one reason why we appreciate the copious digitalisation experience Aimtec brings us – and not just in hardware and technologies. We’ve joined forces, for example, on a transition to a higher version of the tool named Visibility IQ – Foresight, and we’re planning further initiatives to increase the effectiveness of our SAP processes with support from Zebra devices.

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The information systems linking up the operators at a warehouse or manufacturing plant are another area that demands constant innovation. How do you approach it?

Digitalisation processes are omnipresent. EDI communication with customers and suppliers has become a matter of course. We stick to the latest technologies, and we’re already using AI both in customer service and when managing customer portals for reporting dispatches and the like. The use of information systems among operators is now a necessity as well. An ERP manages the entire process from packaging on to shipping. We’ve newly introduced Andon screens, and we monitor our order load on these.

Do you have any specific requirements for mobile devices’ ergonomics?

Ergonomics is very important to us. Every year we run what’s called an “ergoscreening,” which is always focused on our highest-risk work centres. We try to obtain the most appropriate technological resources for making our employees’ work easier, such as electric scissor-lift pallet trucks and electric height-adjustable packing tables.

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You use an extensive fleet of mobile terminals. What challenges does that bring?

This might sound surprising, but the greatest challenge is keeping the devices stable and available. Our main goal is to minimise outages, mainly when it comes to Wi-Fi coverage within our halls. 

One major step for us was our recent transition to the new Android OS platform together with Zebra AMS (Access Management System), giving our shift supervisors access to an instant summary of how many devices are currently in use and by whom, how many are charging right now, and whether any are missing.

I was surprised by how many new opportunities and improvements a mere switch of operating systems can bring. We’ve raised the use of our SAP system to a new level, and meanwhile the day-to-day handling of scanners, our key devices for data collection, now takes us less work. Thanks to Aimtec, which showed them to us and is helping us to deploy them.

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What benefits has the deployment of Zebra AMS and Intelligent Cabinets brought you?

We’ve been using Zebra systems for many long years, and we’re very satisfied with them. That’s one reason why we’re always regularly updating to new devices. The Zebra AMS concept appealed to us because it gives us maximum real-time visibility. We can see who worked when with what device, and meanwhile we can be sure our technologies are stored correctly and no damage to them can occur. These intelligent cabinets can also take care of device charging.

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But device breakdowns and damage are still unavoidable. Do you have any tips on how best to deal with them?

Whenever we need it, we have a service contract available that enables swift repairs or exchanges – within three working days. Fortunately, breakdowns are rare, only a few such cases happen each year, and these are always handled with a maximum of expertise and effectiveness. That lets us maintain high operational reliability for our devices and minimise any outages.

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What other innovations do you plan to employ in the realm of digitalisation?

A major challenge awaits us over the next two years, when we will be installing one of the most modern automated warehouses in the Czech Republic. This project represents a significant step forward within our strategy for digitalising and automating our logistics processes. We’re glad that we won’t be alone in this – in cooperation with Aimtec, we’re seeking the kinds of technological solutions that will make sense for both our daily operations and our long-term development.

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