With the global takeover of mobile gaming, as well as augmented reality games such as Pokemon Go, the gaming industry has rapidly become more profitable than ever. A recent study discussed in the article “Gaming the Factory: Can Data Make Manufacturing Fun Again?” by IndustryWeek highlights how 79% of industrial laborers in the manufacturing industry quit their jobs due to feeling that their work is not keeping them engaged, motivated, and their contributions are not being recognized by their manager and or employer. How do companies fix this? The solution… by turning the factory into a digital gaming experience.
Article writer John Hitch suggests that the industrial world would benefit from “gaming the factory”, a means to use the rapid digitization of manufacturing in order to benefit both the plant manager as well as the workforce. Factories are quickly becoming digitized, autonomously sharing information throughout the facility instantaneously. This collective information could be used to track production and improve KPI by introducing positive motivators and incentives for employees performing well, through the means of displayed scoreboards and tracking employee achievements. If a worker is performing exceptionally mention it, not in a plaque, but by putting them at #1 on the high score board! Hitch even suggests that adding a little retro gaming aesthetic to work areas and break rooms could help liven and energize employee moods, easily done with digitization.
Hitch also mentions how Dassault Systémes has already “powered up” and gotten their “game on” through their powerful 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. Honda has already driven on board by digitizing their plants with Dassault Systémes’ software, using model processes that allow the plant managers to see, not just the product being built but, “the entire line, the adjacent line, and even the material handling vehicles moving the product throughout the plant.” Truly embracing the platform and optimizing their plants performance.
To read more about this extremely interesting idea of “gaming the factory” and its solution to improving manufacturing labor conditions, as well as how Dassault Systémes software is making this possible, navigate to the article here.
