In today’s highly competitive environment, digital transformation is crucial for manufacturers looking to enhance competitiveness and achieve long-term growth. As a global leader in electronics manufacturing, Foxconn is embracing cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), and extended reality (XR) to improve productivity, product quality, and operational efficiency while reducing costs and resource consumption.
To further strengthen its competitive edge, Foxconn is heavily investing in technology to digitize its past data and experiences. By creating digital solutions tailored to its factory operations, Foxconn is setting new industry benchmarks. The company selected DataMesh FactVerse—a state-of-the-art digital twin platform—and Apple Vision Pro, a next-generation XR device, to enable its frontline employees to effortlessly integrate these technologies into their daily work, enhancing overall efficiency.
Tailored Digital Solutions for Factory Operations
The FactVerse platform allows enterprises to quickly build digital twins of their factories, offering essential tools for real-time monitoring, simulation, intelligent training & maintenance, etc.
By integrating FactVerse into its business processes, Foxconn is transforming its factory management system, boosting operational efficiency across the board. FactVerse-based applications support various devices, including Apple Vision Pro, iPads, and PCs, ensuring seamless access to information, intelligent recommendations, and real-time guidance for employees. This results in faster execution, fewer mistakes, and improved production outcomes.
In the first phase of implementation, Foxconn focused on two key areas: employee training and equipment maintenance. With the help of DataMesh Director (a PPT-like 3D MR instruction creator for training and guidance) and DataMesh Checklist (a step-by-step validation tool), frontline workers can create MR training content and inspection plans easily. By utilizing XR devices like the Apple Vision Pro, employees can complete training and inspection tasks in a simpler, more intuitive way—greatly enhancing work efficiency.
Enhancing Employee Training with DataMesh Director and Apple Vision Pro
Challenges
- High Training Demands: Foxconn’s factories involve large-scale production lines with complex processes and numerous workstations. With a large influx of new employees, training resources are often stretched thin.
- Frequent Training Needs: Labor shortages and high turnover rates necessitate frequent training sessions, placing additional strain on trainers and resources.
- Steep Learning Curve: With a variety of workstations and complex machine operations, new employees face a steep learning curve. Trainers with expertise in a single skill cannot comprehensively guide all new employees, resulting in longer training periods.
- Ineffective Learning Outcomes: Limited access to physical machines and a lack of interactivity in traditional remote training methods often result in poor learning outcomes.
Solution
Foxconn trainers can use DataMesh Director to quickly import 3D models and create MR training materials without any programming. This allows new employees to access training content anytime and anywhere, using computers, smartphones, tablets, or XR devices. They can engage with virtual machines in an interactive environment, significantly speeding up the learning process.
Apple Vision Pro further enhances MR training by providing high-definition visuals that closely replicate real machines and operational steps. Trainees can interact with these virtual machines, gaining a deeper understanding of training content. This immersive experience improves learning efficiency and retention.
The 3D operation manuals created through the platform can be reused in various training scenarios, such as job training, equipment maintenance and inspection, and skill development, making the learning process more flexible and effective.
Looking ahead, the FactVerse platform will provide Foxconn with an employee assessment system, which will gather data from training processes and performance results and combines them with the comprehensive goals of production schedules, job designs, and process designs to optimize training plans and further enhance employee productivity.
Key Benefits
- Improved Training Efficiency: Job training efficiency increased by 30%.
- Resource Savings: The no-code approach shortens the development cycle and cuts down costs for training materials. Employing 1:1 virtual machines in place of the real ones for training, reducing equipment consumption costs.
- Reduced Learning Time: 3D and MR training content offer clearer, more interactive learning experiences, speeding up the learning process.
- Digital Asset Accumulation: The knowledge and experience converted into digital assets, creating a valuable resource for future training programs.
Improving Equipment Inspection with DataMesh Checklist and Apple iPad
Challenges
- Complexity of Inspections: Traditional SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) documents can be difficult to follow, making inspections time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Challenges with Remote Guidance: In remote environments, skill transfer is limited, and workers may not get the timely support they need, resulting in lower inspection quality.
Solution
Using DataMesh Checklist, Foxconn employees can easily create and manage inspection plans, linking them with 3D operation manuals. During inspections, employees can use iPads to view real-time guidance overlaid on the equipment, following step-by-step instructions to ensure accuracy and prevent errors. With the help of AI, workers can quickly access maintenance history and receive real-time operational guidance to perform repairs more efficiently.
Foxconn also plans to integrate the FactVerse platform with its production system and fault-warning system, enabling a data-driven approach to decision-making and further improving operational efficiency.
Key Benefits
- Improved Inspection Accuracy: Equipment spot-checking failures have been reduced by 4%.
- Cost Savings in App Development: Employees can use out-of-the-box tools to create inspection tasks, reducing the time and cost of developing new applications.
- Alignment with Production Schedules: Coordinating inspection plans with production schedules ensures equipment reliability during peak times, preventing downtime and improving overall production efficiency.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: The platform’s traceability enables better data analysis, helping to optimize production and equipment management.
Empowering Frontline Workers and Enhancing Workforce Engagement
Foxconn’s collaboration with DataMesh and Apple is transforming the work experience for its frontline employees, particularly Generation Z workers who are eager to engage with new technologies and learn new skills to improve work efficiency and income. This collaboration also provides significant advantages for Foxconn, such as reduced recruitment and training costs, lower employee turnover, and a more skilled workforce.
As Foxconn continues to work with DataMesh and Apple, it will leverage digital twins, AI, and spatial computing to further empower its employees, drive innovation, and improve production efficiency—ultimately achieving sustainable growth.