E Ink’s customer AIOI-Systems launches smart equipment inspection system utilising eNote devices
E Ink (Billerica, Massachusetts), the originator, pioneer, and global commercial leader in ePaper technology, announced their collaboration with AIOI Systems Co, LTD. a group company of TOPPAN Holdings Inc., to provide eNote devices featuring E Ink Kaleido 3 for AIOI’s Smart Equipment Inspection System.
As companies face an increased importance in reducing their carbon emissions and providing more sustainable solutions in their factories, AIOI’s Smart Inspection System provides an advantage through digital transformation (DX) by increasing productivity while eliminating paper waster and digitising systems.
The Smart Equipment Inspection System simultaneously distributes instruction leaflets, instructions, inspection formats, etc. that were previously on paper to colour digital paper devices. Inspection results can then be entered on the digital paper devices and sent back to the main system. Smart tags record and display the inspection results entered on digital paper in its built-in memory, making it possible to easily see the condition of inspected equipment. Additionally, the server integration software DCSS (Digital Paper Control Server Software) enables linking in the cloud or on-premises.
Linfiny Japan Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of E Ink specialising in the development of digital paper, and AIOI are working together to develop this new product. The Smart Equipment Inspections system is achieved by linking digital paper with the world's first A4 colour digital paper with a flexible backplane and battery-free, NFC-enabled Visible RFID Smart Tags. The 13.3-inch colour digital paper device features an E Ink Kaleido 3 screen, capacitive touch, a Wacom EMR digitiser, and a battery-free pen. Due to the device’s ultra-low power consumption, battery life is projected for five days with Wi-Fi on and two weeks with Wi-Fi off. The product is expected to launch in April 2024.
"Since 2010, we have been partnering with E Ink, the leader in digital paper technology, to continue selling the world's first Smart Tag digital paper to logistics and manufacturing companies in Japan and overseas,” said Yutaka Yoshino, President and CEO, AIOI Systems Co., LTD. “The announced Smart Equipment Inspection System, which links digital paper with Smart Tags, will be adopted by a leading Japanese general electronics manufacturer in April 2024, and is expected to play an important role in promoting DX in inspection operations for various control devices and equipment. By developing the Smart Equipment Inspection System for corporate customers, we hope to contribute to the promotion of on-site DX around the world going forward. We plan to further advance our collaborative relationship with E Ink in the future by developing various products equipped with digital paper technology.”
"In the industrial world, on-site operations are still carried out with a paper-based workflow and ideal DX has not yet been achieved,” said Naoki Sumita, President, E Ink Japan Inc. “We hope that by collaborating around our digital paper with AIOI-Systems, which has many customers in logistics and manufacturing worldwide, we can deliver this solution and contribute. E Ink is committed to achieving a sustainable society by providing low-power, sustainable solutions.”
Caption: The system allows digitisation of paper forms, reducing paper waste, and providing a low power, connected solution (photo: E Ink)