Framework for Designing Quality-Centered Assistance Systems for the Smart Factory

Employee assistance systems are essential for companies to manage the growing complexity of information and processes. However, current systems mainly provide process-oriented support through documentation options, leaving a gap in real-time quality assessment. Real-time or in-process quality assessment becomes increasingly attractive for large and complex components where automated inspection is not feasible. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a new modeling framework for quality-centric assistance systems that are tailored to the Smart Factory environment. The framework integrates digital design principles, standard manufacturing processes, and quality parameters, facilitating seamless integration and standardized data exchange. An expert evaluation of the framework yielded positive ratings across various dimensions, underscoring its potential impact. Feedback from experts indicated the need for further refinement, including enhancing credibility through implementation and field tests, providing more detailed procedure models, and addressing challenges in sensor integration. Overall, this framework represents a significant advancement towards process-oriented assistance in various application areas, with implications for optimizing production and quality processes.