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If you work in manufacturing, you’re probably familiar with the challenge of avoiding defective products. A defect as small as a missing or unidentifiable barcode can result in downtime and disappointed customers. To limit the number of defective products, manufacturing companies struggle to manage these visual quality inspections. This article will introduce how to improve these inspections through computer vision for quality control – a field of artificial intelligence that trains computers to interpret and understand the visual world. Problem – the cost of quality inspections Every company in manufacturing has the challenge of reducing the number of defective products. Quality inspection in manufacturing is a must; otherwise, faulty products will appear one way or another. Defective products can cause damage and result in unexpected expenses, leading to customer complaints, downtime, labor costs, and scrapped products. Therefore, dedicated people are often used as the quality checkpoint, visually looking at the production line – which costs time and money. The quality check is critical, but manual visual quality inspection slows down the production phase since you must ensure the inspector can keep up with the production line. Is it worth it? Well, it’s necessary to ensure high-quality products – even though it’s a costly expense for the company. In some cases, where risk is high, the cost of letting defective products slip through is considered worse. E.g., delivering faulty products to a client/customer could result in lost contracts/agreements. Therefore, it’s essential to avoid these scenarios and reduce errors, even if that often means having a lot of resources in place and a slower production phase. A well-designed systematic quality inspection will have a positive effect on: Downtime Defective product Loss of revenue Lost customers Wasted time Wasted resources & man-hours Wasted money Decreased OEE / utilization And more.. In most cases, posting a person on the production line at each point of quality inspection is often too expensive – so let’s talk about alternatives using new technologies and solutions like computer vision. Solution – reducing defects and human errors by using computer vision analysis The solution is to install relatively inexpensive cameras in locations where you typically place, or would like to place, a person for visual inspections. By using digital images and video from these cameras, we can train computer vision models to perform analysis. These models enable the cameras to accurately identify and classify objects during production line inspections. An edge computing device processes each frame, performs the analysis, and ultimately outputs the result that the model was trained to generate. With these frames from a video, the model can be trained within a few hours to identify defects in real-time wherever you have repetitive quality inspections. We can then use this data to react to what the camera “sees.” Example 1: Best by dates on packaging Implementing object detection and quality control with computer vision on a packaging production line to detect valid printed Best By dates on packaging. This will allow the detection of misprinted, invalid, or missing Best By codes to be removed from production before being boxed and sent […]
1. INTRO The utilization of AI technology is one of Novacura’s strategic themes. We are a high-technology company delivering advanced software products, so we can’t imagine ourselves without AI. We aim to build an affordable bridge to AI for our customers and transform an unfamiliar expert tool into a daily companion. We had the opportunity to speak with our CEO, Johan Melander, who explained Novacura’s approach and strategy in this area. This is a part of the interview that was performed during the Novacura Flow User Conference on 2024-09-18, between: Johan Melander (JM) CEO of Novacura, and Łukasz Majer (LM), Business Solutions & Marketing Director at Novacura (the host). 2. Where AI Can Help Us: Key Areas of Application LM: Johan, we’ve had many opportunities to discuss the role of AI in today’s technological landscape. You mentioned that AI has become somewhat of a buzzword these days. I would like to explore this area further so it doesn’t remain an “empty” slogan. When I think about AI utilization in the context of Flow, I can imagine its support in the following areas: Flow developer co-pilot, helping developers build apps End-user co-pilot – guiding users through the process and automating certain steps for them Process optimization co-pilot – a tool that consumes telemetry data (process stats), helps detect anomalies (fraud), and identifies bottlenecks in processes Now, where do you see the biggest potential? Which of these directions will be Novacura’s priority – what’s on our roadmap? JM: Well, all these areas are actually on our radar, and we address them in our roadmap. Of course, not everything will be available from day one, but you’ve touched on all important aspects of AI utilization in our platform and solutions. We are currently developing the developer co-pilot as part of Flow Studio. We also have some AI-based automations embedded in our apps (like invoice recognition, receipt analysis, and computer vision object detection). 2.1. AI USE CASES: FOR FLOW DEVELOPERS LM: Could you then quickly explain what AI could provide in relation to these three categories of AI companions? Let’s start with the developer companion, perhaps? JM: Sure, but I want to clarify that I’m now presenting our strategic vision, not necessarily the elements you’ll see in one of the next releases. I can imagine AI helping Flow developers in the following areas: Flow Script creation – You say something in natural language, and AI creates a Flow script program; Data import companion – You show your Excel/CSV/XML file, and the AI tool prepares the import script, maps objects to your internal data structures, etc.; Data layer creation – You type something like, “I need objects to store my invoices with details” and AI creates objects for the invoice header and invoice lines, establishing all relations with other existing objects like Customer, Supplier, or Project. Importantly, it already knows which properties are required to represent this object type properly; User interface creator – You describe your needs for the UI, and the tool builds it for you. You may also point to a data object […]
INTRODUCTION Novacura Flow is a low-code platform that expands ERP systems and allows customers to build their own ERP applications. It offers deep ERP integration and a set of connectors that make this integration with ERPs easy for low-code application developers. We constantly develop our product by regularly developing fully new versions offering a lot of new capabilities and functional improvements. The latest version – Flow 6.15 – not only brings new functional capabilities but also offers a significant improvement in the performance (efficiency) area. Below we present these performance improvements divided into 2 categories: those that are visible in “runtime” (for the end-users), and those, that are visible for Novacura Flow developers when they develop applications. RUNTIME PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS BETTER MEMORY MANAGEMENT ON THE SERVER SIDE Flow 6.15 utilizes the full potential of 64-bit architecture for memory management. The Flow server can now allocate and assign more memory to all components operating on the server side. All database connectors and drivers have been updated to the 64-bit versions. This change in the internal architecture has a significant impact on the performance in the most complex cases, where the server must face many concurrent sessions (very many users) and a heavy load of workflow executions performed in parallel. In such demanding cases, all users will notice a significant improvement in daily efficiency. At the same time, the server resources will be less utilized, so there will still be some space for a higher load. According to the tests we performed, the load on the Flow Server is roughly 30-40% lower in benchmarks, while in parallel providing a higher throughput! Server CPU usage measured for 6.14 and 6.15 for the same transaction load EXECUTION OF THE FLOW ENVIRONMENT CONNECTOR The new way of managing server memory has a visible impact on the execution of connectors responsible for communication with other systems (like ERP). But in the Flow 6.15 version, we specifically improved one connector: the Flow Environment Connector. This connector allows the Flow application to access Flow Server’s configuration and also get some operational information from the server (such as application users, and their roles, but also information about the running workflows). In the Flow 6.15 version, this Flow Environment Connector has been optimized. It now uses a more streamlined way of communicating with the internal Flow Server database, which has a tremendous impact on the runtime efficiency. Below we present the same sequence of Flow Environment Connector calls, executed in Flow 6.14 and 6.15 versions. Example Execution for Flow 6.14 Example Execution for Flow 6.15 FLOW SCRIPT IMPROVEMENTS The runtime efficiency improvements don’t end with machine steps execution. The Flow 6.15 version also expands the potential of our internal programming language called “Flow Script”. With the Flow script, customers can embed more complicated logic into their workflow applications. It is usually used to manipulate sets of data that have been retrieved from external systems or databases. The new Flow Script allows developers to use “Inner joins” to connect 2 data sources when querying them. Previously, when the application had to compare […]
Novacura Flow is bridging gaps between various ERPs and end-user needs since 2009. Since then we have been assisting more than 150 thousand users and continuously developing Novacura Flow and Portal. Now, it’s time to introduce a new product, Novacura Flow Connect. In contrast to Flow Classic (version 6.14, 6.15, and Portal 2), Flow Connect will be our flagship product in the rapidly growing industry of cloud services (e.g., platform-as-a-service), keeping most important funcionalities of on-premise software. First customer on Flow Connect is up and running! We are proud to announce that for the past three months, we have been utilizing Flow Connect within Novacura and testing it as an early adopter. The system is operational, stable, and has been tested by more than 150 active users. We have already observed initial outcomes, leading us to believe that it will bring about a significant change in the Flow ecosystem. In this blog post, we will outline the upcoming changes that come with Flow Connect and explain how you will benefit from this upgrade. Six Key Foundations for Flow Connect Novacura is committed to supporting our clients in transitioning to cloud computing. Our focus is on leveraging the cloud’s capabilities to provide practical, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. Therefore, the future of Novacura Flow is intrinsically tied to the cloud through a new product – Flow Connect. By embracing this shift, we can unlock new levels of efficiency, agility, and scalability. Our apporche is based on six foundations: Accessibility: Flow Connect can be accessed from anywhere at any time, providing users the flexibility they need. Seamless integration: Flow Connect is designed to integrate smoothly with other software and platforms, enhancing its utility and ease of use. With continuous updates, customers will always have access to the latest features and security measures. Enhanced security: Flow Connect employs advanced security measures and data protection, ensuring the safety of user data. Scalability: Flow Connect is highly scalable, allowing businesses to grow and expand without worrying about software limitations. Collaborate: Flow Connect fosters a multi-tenant design-time promoting seamless collaboration. It allows teams to work together in real-time, increasing productivity irrespective of their geographical locations. Time to value: Flow Connect is designed to expedite innovation. It significantly reduces ‘time to value’, allowing for quicker development and deployment of solutions on our platform, keeping your business agile and ahead of the curve. Key distinctions between Flow Connect and Flow 6.x 1. More efficient The solutions we provide for Novacura Flow 6x are single-tenant solutions. Novacura Flow Connect is a multi-tenant version, consistently updated and maintained by our development team. Customers gain access to multiple environments within the Flow Connect environment, and there is no separate installation required for any customer.Thanks to fully utilizing a cloud architecture, the solution is scalable in terms of performance. It allows for allocating additional server resources when the platform is under heavier load. With our SaaS solution, we offer Flow Connect as an all-inclusive service. Novacura has a Cloud Ops team that manages the environments, taking care of everything, including: All […]
Recently, we achieved significant milestones with the release of our latest version, Flow v.6.15 and a new version of the Flow Portal 2023.3. Novacura Flow version 6.15 puts major emphasis on mobile scanning functions. Automatic forwarding simplifies user interaction with their workflows and processes. This version represents a significant step towards user-centered development
At the most recent Novacura Flow User Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, Andreas Crona introduced our business partners to an innovative solution that is set to enhance the role of integration administrators by seamlessly integrating over 50 connectors from a wide array of systems and technologies into Novacura Flow. We proudly introduce the Integration Engine! The Novacura Flow Integration Engine is a new module of our low-code platform designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing Novacura Flow product suite. The new module elevates the existing features of system integration of Novacura Flow to a whole new level, offering improved integration management, supervision, control, visibility, and traceability. It is designed for integration administrators and introduces a variety of new features for overseeing the performance of the entire low-code platform, including load balancing and timeout control, among others. THE GOALS AND ROLE OF INTEGRATION ENGINE The goals In the world of modern business, the Integration Engine plays a pivotal role in achieving both short-term and long-term objectives. It serves as the bridge connecting disparate systems, facilitating a seamless flow of information and enabling businesses to thrive in an interconnected digital landscape. The role Acts as a front-end interface for the ERP system, allowing the creation of high-level business services that encompass all the intricacies within the ERP API. Enable the ERP system to connect with various business systems, services, and equipment using pre-built connectors. Additionally, it has the capacity to integrate with systems beyond the ERP domain. Contributes to the development of a “Service-oriented architecture” by integrating diverse systems within the organization through a centralized service bus. Performs scheduled data exchanges between systems within your organization or with external entities. Effectively oversees and manages all integration operations. Offers IT administrators a clear view of all executed integrations for enhanced visibility and control. Open to many systems The Novacura Integration Engine collaborates with more than 50 connectors to various systems and technologies. KEY CAPABILITIES OF THE NEW INTEGRATION ENGINE One of the immediate advantages of the Integration Engine is its ability to connect and propagate events and activities across business systems. It simplifies the integration of master data, enabling real-time synchronization. Additionally, it offers the flexibility to automate complex cross-system processes, making it a valuable asset for your organization’s long-term strategy. Among the key advantages of the system, we developed as follow: Administration: all in one place – the Integration Engine simplifies integration management through its web-based administration console. Easy Integration Services creation – the integration routine editor adheres to a low-code philosophy, ensuring that it’s user-friendly and doesn’t demand advanced technical expertise for effortless creation. Triggered or scheduled integrations – when it comes to scheduled integrations, administrators have the flexibility to determine integration call frequencies and configure “Input parameters” for automated workflows. Timeout control – the manages timeout for each integration service call. Performance monitoring – administrators receive detailed alerts for integration errors, with customizable rules for filtering out specific errors. The system also provides performance reports to optimize workflows. Measurements & optimization -administrators can easily access the performance history of individual […]