Technology Revolution for Frontline Workers - How Indoor Positioning Creates the Future of Work

Introduction

Hospital nurses. Construction workers. Factory staff. Logistics center employees. Approximately 2.7 billion people work on the “frontline” without desks or constant access to PCs. Surprisingly, very little technology has been specifically designed for these frontline workers.

For decades, the technology industry has focused on creating innovations for white-collar workers like themselves. As a result, revolutionary tools for office workers have emerged one after another, but many workers who never experience the “magic of software” have been left behind.

However, the situation is changing. A technology revolution for frontline workers is quietly but surely progressing. At the center of this revolution is indoor positioning technology.

Why Frontline Technology is in Demand

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of “essential workers” who support our society and economy. While white-collar workers transitioned to remote work, frontline workers had to continue working on-site.

According to a recent Microsoft survey, 51% of non-management employees feel “undervalued,” and more than 57% believe that “employers should do more to address physical and mental fatigue.” Additionally, a Beekeeper[^1] survey found that 4 out of 10 frontline workers resigned last year, indicating that high turnover rates are a significant challenge.

Furthermore, frontline workers themselves are demanding change. There is a growing call for greater work transparency, stability, work-life balance, connections with colleagues, flexibility, health benefits, career advancement, autonomy, and access to problem-solving tools.

How Indoor Positioning Transforms Frontline Work

Among the technologies solving challenges for frontline workers, indoor positioning systems are receiving particular attention. Just as GPS revolutionized outdoor location information, indoor positioning technology enables accurate tracking of people and objects inside buildings.

TRAILS’ indoor positioning system combines AI and sensor technology to bring the following innovations to frontline workers:

1. Enhanced Safety

• Detecting and warning when approaching dangerous areas
• Optimizing evacuation routes in emergencies
• Monitoring worker workload to prevent overexertion

2. Maximizing Operational Efficiency

• Optimal staff allocation through real-time worker positioning
• Reducing wasted movement by optimizing travel routes
• Providing the shortest routes to necessary tools and equipment

3. Strengthening Teamwork

• Quick identification of nearby colleagues and specialists
• Streamlining emergency assistance requests
• Creating “chance encounters” that promote tacit knowledge sharing

These “chance encounters” refer to knowledge exchanges that arise from unplanned meetings. For example, when a new technician facing a problem receives a notification that “a veteran who has solved this problem in the past is nearby,” a moment is created where subtle adjustment techniques (tacit knowledge) not found in manuals can be shared. Just as innovative companies like Google and Apple design spaces to promote accidental encounters within their offices, TRAILS’ indoor positioning system intentionally creates valuable “chance encounters” through digital power, revitalizing knowledge circulation within organizations.

4. Improving Work Autonomy

• Visualizing individual work patterns
• Suggesting improvements based on data
• Enhancing self-management abilities

TRAILS’ Future Vision: Possibilities in Manufacturing

In manufacturing, improving work efficiency and safety in vast factories has been a longstanding challenge. With the aging of skilled workers, knowledge transfer is also an urgent issue.

By implementing TRAILS’ indoor positioning system, the following innovations can be expected:

• Significantly reducing unnecessary movement distance for workers (industry average efficiency improvements of 15-20% expected)
• Quickly identifying the nearest specialist during equipment trouble to reduce response time
• Lowering accident rates by detecting and warning of approaches to dangerous areas
• Analyzing movement patterns of skilled workers compared to newcomers to facilitate efficient skill transfer

Of particular note is the visualization and sharing of “tacit knowledge.” Tacit knowledge refers to experience-based knowledge that is difficult to express in words or documents. For example, skills such as “somehow sensing the condition of a machine through sound and vibration” or “remembering efficient work sequences through bodily knowledge.”

TRAILS’ positioning system can record and analyze the “wisdom within movement” as location data, such as where skilled workers stop, in what order they move, and where they spend time. This makes it possible to “visualize” the techniques and empirical rules of skilled workers that were difficult to convey verbally, and use them for training newcomers.

TRAILS’ Future Vision: Possibilities in Healthcare

In healthcare settings, reducing the workload of nurses and improving patient service are constant challenges. There are many cases where delays occur because medical equipment or specialists needed in emergencies cannot be quickly located.

By implementing TRAILS’ indoor positioning system:

• Reducing walking distances by analyzing nurse movement patterns to optimize station and equipment placement
• Real-time identification of the nearest specialists or necessary medical equipment in emergencies
• Predicting patient waiting times and implementing flexible staffing based on situations
• Visualizing nurses’ workloads in real-time to build appropriate support systems

Here too, sharing “tacit knowledge” creates significant value. For example, experienced nurses have “rules of thumb” about the order in which to make rounds based on patient conditions, or when to consult doctors. This knowledge is typically difficult to explain clearly in words and is often expressed as “intuition” or “feeling.”

TRAILS’ location information system can capture the movement patterns of experienced nurses and express tacit knowledge such as “why they frequently visit this patient” or “why they make rounds in this order” as data. This makes it possible to share excellent practical knowledge that was previously confined to individual experience throughout the organization, improving the quality of medical services overall.

The Future Brought by Indoor Location Intelligence

Indoor positioning systems are not just technology that “displays dots on a map.” By analyzing accumulated location data, they create new value called “indoor location intelligence.”

This intelligence enables:

1. Predictive operation optimization: Predicting future congestion and demand from past patterns, allowing proactive staffing
2. Personalized work support: Providing optimal navigation and advice tailored to each worker’s characteristics and skill level
3. Visualization and sharing of organizational knowledge: Formalizing tacit knowledge such as “why veterans spend time in that place”
4. Digital twins of work styles: Recreating real work styles in digital space for simulation-based work improvement

What is Tacit Knowledge? A Simple Explanation

“Tacit knowledge” is a concept theorized by Japanese philosopher and management scholar Ikujiro Nonaka, referring to knowledge based on individual experience and intuition that is difficult to express in words or numbers. Its opposite is “explicit knowledge,” which can be clearly documented in manuals or procedures.

In everyday life examples:

• Explicit knowledge: Instructions explaining how to ride a bicycle
• Tacit knowledge: The actual skill of riding a bicycle (balancing and making fine adjustments when about to fall)

Tacit knowledge is extremely valuable in companies but has traditionally been difficult to share or pass on. For example:

• A veteran factory worker’s ability to “predict machine failures from subtle changes in sound”
• A skilled nurse’s sense of “judging urgency from a patient’s expression”
• The “knack for building relationships with customers” possessed by sales representatives

Traditionally, this tacit knowledge could only be passed on through methods such as “master-apprentice relationships” or “learning by observation” over long periods.

TRAILS’ indoor positioning system captures tacit knowledge that appears in the form of people’s “movements” as location data, analyzes it, and visualizes the “wisdom within movement” that was previously invisible. This makes it possible to share aspects of tacit knowledge as data, such as “why veterans work in this order” or “why they spend time in this location.”

Getting Started: Steps to Implement Indoor Positioning

To avoid falling behind in the technology revolution for frontline workers, consider implementing indoor positioning with these steps:

1. Identify current challenges: Determine which work processes are inefficient and where safety risks exist
2. Small-scale proof of concept: Conduct test implementations in specific areas or departments and measure results
3. Develop data utilization strategy: Plan how to analyze collected location data and use it for operational improvements
4. Gradual deployment: Expand to other departments and locations based on successful cases
5. Continuous improvement: Regularly optimize the system and operational methods based on data

Conclusion: Technology That Leaves No One Behind

The “frontline tech” market was valued at $21.3 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow to $68.9 billion by 2028. At the center of this growth are technologies specialized for on-site work, including indoor positioning systems.

Providing appropriate tools to frontline workers who have been left behind by technology benefits is not just about improving efficiency and safety. By giving them a “voice” and empowering them, it leads to lower turnover rates, improved work quality, and above all, increased happiness of the people working.

The words of Honest Burgers’ CEO, “happy employees = happy customers = happy business,” represent the essence of technology investment for frontline workers.

TRAILS leads this “technology revolution for the 99%” through indoor positioning and location intelligence. We aim to maximize the potential of frontline workers and realize a future of work where no one is left behind.

【1】 Beekeeper is a company that provides a digital workplace platform specifically designed for frontline workers. They offer communication and operational management tools for deskless employees primarily in industries such as hospitality, manufacturing, and retail. Their surveys serve as a valuable source of information for understanding the challenges and needs of frontline workers accurately.

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