Pulmuone Introduces Contactless Factory Monitoring System Using Smart Glasses for Quality and Safety Management

◦ Pulmuone enhances quality and safety management through digital transformation amid ongoing difficulties in on-site factory monitoring due to prolonged COVID-19 fallout

◦ The use of smart glasses is expected to enable real-time response at any time and location of Pulmuone’s facilities

◦ Pulmuone plans to realize smart factory establishment project and expand the use of smart glasses

▲ Pulmuone Introduces Contactless Factory Monitoring System Using Smart Glasses

for Quality and Safety Management

SEOUL – December 11th, 2020 – Pulmuone announced on 11th that the company introduces contactless monitoring system using smart glasses to enhance quality and safety management of its food manufacturing factories.

Smart glasses, a wearable head-mounted display in the form of glasses, identify information required for on-site factory monitoring using Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. McDonald’s is one of the global food companies who adopted the use of smart glasses for store management and food education.

Pulmuone, with an aim to realize its vision of Digital Transformation (DX), has actively pursued digital innovations in its business sectors. As a part of this process, the Quality and Safety Management Office of Pulmuone Institute of Technology, a headquarter for Pulmuone’s quality and safety control, has been conducting reviews and simulations on the use of smart glasses to replace on-site monitoring since last year. As most of factory visits became prohibited or limited after the COVID-19 outbreak earlier in this year, Pulmuone moved swiftly to make use of the smart glasses to ensure the top safety and quality of its manufacturing factories.

The contactless monitoring system is started by a factory worker at site wearing the smart glasses. As the worker browses inside and outside the factory, the built-in camera records and streams videos to the PC, laptop or smartphone of the person in charge of safety and quality management. The system enables a safety and quality monitoring personnel to conduct a thorough examination of a factory without any on-site visiting.

▲ A factory maintenance technician is transmitting an image of control panel

to the Quality and Safety Management Team of Pulmuone Institute of Technology

▲ A factory technician wearing smart glasses is using the bulit-in camera to take photos of products

for packaging inspection

Pulmuone plans to apply the noncontact system to domestic facilities first and expand to its factories in the U.S., China and Japan to secure real-time quality and safety control of its entire manufacturing processes.

The smart glasses are expected to realize contactless inspection, real-time response to issues in domestic and foreign business sites, one-to-many monitoring and improvement of quality control capabilities of partner companies. Digitally recorded videos will also facilitate more efficient management of inspection history and provide sources for inspection training materials for partner companies.

The extended use of smart glasses for product safety management is part of Pulmuone’s efforts on the establishment of smart factory infrastructure where Pulmuone’s top-class engineers with the world’s best technologies for tofu and fresh noodle manufacturing use smart glasses to share their know-how in facilities management without visiting foreign factories in the U.S., China and Japan.

“In order to conduct in-depth management of safety and quality of our food products in domestic and overseas factories, we have put in place the digital monitoring system using smart glasses," said Sang-yun Lee, Chief Technology Officer of Pulmuone. “As the importance of non-contact monitoring is increasing amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we will make continued efforts to sophisticate the level of the contactless inspection system to achieve better quality compared to contact examinations.”

ABOUT PULMUONE

For decades, Pulmuone has been making plant-forward and Asian-inspired cooking easier and more delicious for people from all walks and stages in life. Pulmuone’s family of brands: Nasoya, Wildwood, Emerald Valley Kitchen, and Monterey Gourmet Foods are proud to inspire healthy eating while providing conscious choices for the planet and its people - putting us all on a path for a better tomorrow.

Pulmuone Newsroom : http://www.pulmuone.co.kr/en/newsroom/listPulmuoneNews.do

ABOUT PULMUONE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Pulmuone Institute of Technology was first established as the Pulmuone Foods Research and Development Office in 1985, the early days of the company’s foundation. The institute moved to a building in Yonsei University located in Sinchon, Seoul in 1999 and operated for more than 20 years before the completion of the new R&D center in Osong. Leveraging the high infrastructure and geographical advantages of Osong, Pulmuone is expecting the institute to play a key role in future research and development through sophisticated research capabilities and synergy with its nearby manufacturing and logistics centers.

[Press Release] Pulmuone Institute of Technology Newly Opens as Nation’s 1st LEED-Certified Food Research Facility: http://www.pulmuone.co.kr/en/newsroom/viewPulmuoneNews.do?id=1006