- Two winners crowned from Hexagon's first 'Sixth Sense' cohort
of cutting-edge tech start-ups
- The innovations include a novel traceability solution for
3D-printed parts based on particles that form embedded digital
barcodes, and an AI-powered 'Sims-style' digital twin for planning
factories
- Both aim to improve sustainability and efficiency in
manufacturing, and will be given the resources by Hexagon to
globalise
COBHAM, England, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexagon's
Manufacturing Intelligence division today announced the winners of
its first cohort of start-ups selected to help the manufacturing
industry operate more sustainably and efficiently.
Hexagon is a multi-billion dollar pioneer in digital reality
solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies
to address new challenges with greater insights. With sites in more
than 50 countries, its manufacturing technologies help make 95% of
all cars, 90% of all aircraft and 85% of all smartphones worldwide.
The company launched the Sixth Sense open innovation platform in
January to challenge how multinationals approach innovation and
help nurture creative solutions to emerging manufacturing
challenges by connecting with world-class companies to solve some
of humanity's biggest challenges.
The two joint winners were chosen following an intense
eight-week training programme to hone their business model and
approach, concluding with a final presentation to a panel of expert
judges to pitch for the resources to globalise and gain access to
Hexagon's extensive customer base.
The winners are:
RIIICO, that has designed a 'Sims-style' drag and drop
virtual factory floor. Its AI solution creates a true-to-life
simulation of a plant with a single 3D scan, empowering teams with
the tools and flexibility to collaborate and improve on factory
design from anywhere in the world. This has enormous productivity
improvement potential, with around 80% of factory improvements
currently getting stuck in the ideation phase. This can remove
barriers to greener workflows by making the identification,
installation and optimisation of them as painless and low-resource
as possible. The young team of university friends from Germany launched the company just last year
and since joining the platform have already been backed by the
likes of UC Berkeley's SkyDeck fund, multiple investors, and AI
experts in the US and Germany.
SmartParts, that has created an embedded digital barcode
for 3D printing. It has developed a solution utilising data-rich
particles that can be embedded into the materials of 3D printed
parts, which when scanned reveal the material and part full
specifications and history. The solution will enable industries
with specific technical requirements, like aerospace and defence,
and those with strong ESG commitments, such as governments, to have
greater control over their supply chain and processes and encourage
responsible business decision making. With modern supply chains
under intense pressure, there is increasing need to monitor and
verify the authenticity of products. For example, 520,000
counterfeit aerospace parts are installed in planes every year, and
8% of all medical devices on the market are estimated to be fake.
SmartParts aims to combat this by directly connecting physical
assets with digital records to ensure end-to-end traceability and
trust in 3D printing. The small US-based team has direct experience
with manufacturing in high requirement industries, having served as
New York City's main contractor
for 3D printed swabs during the height of the Covid pandemic in
2020.
Sixth Sense is a revolutionary approach to the traditional
accelerator, designed as an exchange of value between Hexagon and
the start-ups, providing more than just theoretical training. The
cohort gain tailored instruction on how to hone their offering for
greater commercial success using Hexagon's deep market insight,
while Hexagon aims to apply learnings from the start-ups' agility
and fresh approach to innovation.
Parth Joshi, Chief Product
Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Hexagon's Manufacturing
Intelligence division, said: "We expect all seven companies from
this first cohort will go on to have a significant impact on the
future of the manufacturing industry, and we will work with them
all in some way; we were incredibly impressed with the strength and
creativity of all solutions. As winners, SmartParts and RIIICO
should be particularly proud of their achievements, and we look
forward to working with them to help grow their businesses and
relationship with Hexagon and our customers."
"Sixth Sense has broken the mould, and successfully so –
everything from the initial demand to the final result has been
eye-opening," said Paolo
Guglielmini, President of Hexagon's Manufacturing
Intelligence division. "At Hexagon, we are searching for smart,
efficient solutions that will not only boost performance, but
benefit people and the planet. We will be recruiting for the next
cohort soon, and I would emphasise that we encourage applicants
from diverse backgrounds to help foster creative answers to global
challenges."
The runner-up to the two winners is Praemo, who developed
RazorTM, a sophisticated manufacturing insights application that
ingests data 'as-is' from automation, quality, historians and
maintenance systems to drive next level continuous improvement in
areas like throughput, cost and productivity using advanced Machine
Learning without the need for skilled data science teams. Hexagon
would like to congratulate all the companies involved in this
pioneering cohort, which included Eyeflow AI, IconPro, SmartPM and
SmartUQ.
To keep up to date with the winners, learn from the Sixth Sense
community or apply for the next Sixth Sense cohort visit
sixthsense.hexagon.com.
Global press office including April
Six (agency): media.mi@hexagon.com.
About Hexagon
Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions,
combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. We are
putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and
safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public
sector, and mobility applications.
Our technologies are shaping production and people-related
ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous –
ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.
Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division provides solutions
that use data from design and engineering, production and metrology
to make manufacturing smarter. For more information, visit
hexagonmi.com.
Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 22,000
employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately
4.3bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com
and follow us @HexagonAB.
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1836380/Hexagon_SmartParts.jpg
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1836379/Hexagon_RIIICO.jpg
Media contact:
Robin Wolstenholme
Global Media Relations and Analyst Relations Manager
Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence Division
+44(0)7407 642190
robin.wolstenholme@hexagon.com