The future of production begins on the shop floor. Learn how the digitalization of shift scheduling paves the way for efficiency and productivity.
The situation
The technology group is in a major digitalization phase for the shop floor to unlock new efficiencies. Manual shift planning was identified as one way to increase efficiency, which was time-consuming due to its complexity and framework conditions that needed to be considered. In order to achieve increased flexibility in shift scheduling, the company decided to implement an automated solution to digitize the shop floor, paving the way to a smart factory.
The challenges
Manual processes proved to be very time-consuming and error-prone, resulting in high costs and inefficient processes. Particular care was needed for tasks as complex as creating a shift schedule for thousands of employees. Unforeseen events or changes also meant that additional time had to be spent on shift scheduling. Without a digital solution, it was not as easy to obtain and analyse real-time data to make decisions based on up-to-date information. This made the planning and coordination of working hours, machines and resources more complex and led to inefficiencies in processes.
The solution
Manual processes were replaced by AI-supported shift planning software from shyftplan. Digital shift planning makes it easier for around 4,000 ZF employees to plan working hours and resources, which reduces the workload. Employees can access their data via private smartphones, which contributes to the Smart Factory. The smart solution integrates with SAP for automated scheduling and monitoring of working time laws. The digitalization of shift planning plays a crucial role in protecting employees and ensuring compliance with regulations. It increases production efficiency and productivity and enables further digital optimization on the shop floor at ZF.
About ZF
ZF is a globally active technology group and supplies systems for the mobility of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology. In 2022, the Group generated sales of €43.8 billion with around 165,000 employees worldwide. The company is represented at 168 production locations in 32 countries.
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