H.B. Fuller has provided innovative adhesive solutions for over 130 years that are now used in everything from electronic devices and solar energy arrays to next generation textiles and food packaging. The company continues to focus on innovation by bringing together people, products, and processes that solve some of the world’s greatest manufacturing challenges. Providing superior customer service while putting safety at the forefront is H.B. Fuller’s highest priority.

In 2017, H.B. Fuller recognized it faced two challenges on the manufacturing floor — first, troubleshooting and second, fixing issues as they happened — both slowing processes, increasing costs, and jeopardizing the company’s ability to provide the highest level of customer service and safety for all employees.

H.B. Fuller employees were using computers and handheld devices to consult manuals, fix issues, and communicate proper procedures with workers around the country. However, employees are required to wear specialized safety equipment, such as gloves and protective eyewear when handling chemicals and other sensitive materials. This equipment made using handheld devices difficult, and hands-on workers expressed frustration with having to rely on devices that took them out of their flow of work and slowed productivity.

The handheld devices also often failed to showcase the level of detail needed to fully troubleshoot an issue, which led to a significant investment of time, money, and human capital. Remote experts sometimes had to be flown in to troubleshoot. Often, this resulted in a 5-hour cross-country flight, leaving the affected machine to sit idle and ultimately costing the company money, time, and resources. H.B. Fuller found that once the expert arrived to fix the machine, the problem could typically be fixed in a matter of minutes.

To adapt to the evolving needs of its employees and customers, the company sought a solution that would help workers navigate complex manufacturing processes across its 71 global locations, while also keeping safety as the company’s top priority. Ultimately, the company decided to try to eliminate handheld devices where possible and instead began to explore wearable options that would allow remote experts to see the issue from wherever they were.

With the support of Hodei Technology, H.B. Fuller was immediately impressed by the simple elegance of Hodei’s wearable solution that could easily adapt to company workflows, while being part of a comprehensive telepresence system. Hodei’s software integrates with Glass to create a complete “plug and play” solution that can be used right out of the box. While other telepresence vendors require complex connections and lengthy implementations, Hodei’s lightweight and simple-to-use software and hardware solution with Glass was exactly what H.B. Fuller needed to overhaul its customer service.

“Hodei’s solution for Glass enables H.B. Fuller’s employees to focus on the task at hand, rather than technology in their hand,” explained Jason Sagstetter, Senior Project Manager H.B. Fuller.

By allowing experts to be virtually omnipresent through Hodei’s telepresence capabilities leveraging Glass, and by providing access to all the necessary troubleshooting materials on a wearable device, H.B. Fuller employees and customers are able to resolve issues in real time. This allows the company to make better use of its existing resources, work more safely, and ultimately save time and money.

Marine Corps tested GEMINI to see if its integration into their training process would improve learning outcomes – watch the video to see and hear their firsthand experience.

We have partnered with Hodei Technology to use its innovative HCview GEMINI solution featuring Glass Enterprise Edition to improve access to health care in remote northern communities of the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. We are currently testing the use of Glass to deliver real time medical expertise to these communities.

Our initial experience using Glass Enterprise Edition in primary and specialized health care delivery is very promising as the platform is user friendly, provides stable connectivity and has so far great acceptance by health care providers and patients. We are convinced that point-of-care diagnosis and treatment will be transformative in the delivery of health care in general but will be vital for remote, underserviced populations with limited access to health care. Ultimately, technologies such as HCview GEMINI with Glass Enterprise Edition will help to narrow the gap of inequality in health care delivery at a global level.

Dr. Ivar Mendez is the Fred H. Wigmore Professor and Unified Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatoon Health Region. As a world-renowned expert in neurosurgery, stem cells and robotics, Dr. Ivar Mendez is a pioneer in the fields of brain repair and telemedicine.