APRIL 2019CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19With minimal to no infrastructure intrusion, FreePoint is ideal for new and sophisticated equipment while being an easy retrofit for conventional equipment.involves using sensors instead of attaching hardware to a programmable logic controller (PLC). The solution does not interfere with machine operations nor is it a vector for cyber attacks on the machinery. Due to the lack of physical connection between FreePoint's solution and the machines, an "air-gap" increases the security and drastically and reduces the possibility of cyber attacks. Where do you observe higher customer traction? Could you illustrate a client success story to exemplify FreePoint's offerings?One of FreePoint's original founders operated a wire harness manufacturing plant. Following this, several of FreePoint's initial customers where manufacturers in the automotive supply chain. Over the years, FreePoint has diversified its offerings for customers in discrete manufacturing segments such as fabricated metals, aerospace, textiles, and plastic and rubber. Customers associated with FreePoint share the drive to improve shop floor efficiency by engaging with employees, which leads to improved machine utilization and manufacturing throughput.FreePoint's offerings can be demonstrated through its association with a precision metal stamping and assembly company that was founded in 1970. With no active production monitoring, the customer used a paper-based system to track production for several years. In a process that took roughly 36 hours to avail production information, recognizing and reporting a machine malfunction in real-time was next to impossible. After deploying FreePoint ShiftWorx, relevant staff could access minute-by-minute updates of shop floor productivity. In addition, when a problem arises, immediate action helps to review and address the issue. With ShiftWorx, machine operators experience better engagement in the tasks after understanding the connection between their work and the impact on production performance. The use of the FreePoint solution brought a complete turnaround in the operations and now, the client aims to turn 100 percent paperless for collecting production data.How has the journey been so far for FreePoint? What does the road ahead hold in store for you?In 2018, we acquired a software development firm, which doubled the total number of software developers in our firm. This growth enabled FreePoint to accelerate product development while offering additional integration services to customers. In parallel, we are paving the way to allow partners and customers to access our product API to connect the ShiftWorx platform to more machines. On the geographic front, FreePoint is growing wider in North America, Asia, and South Pacific, while eyeing growth opportunities in Europe and South America. Our ultimate mission is to help manufacturers connect the machines and their people to deliver the best outcomes.
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