A digital factory helps the real factory run faster.

Watch the film

Ash Cloud in Shenzhen, China, is a technologically advanced factory that works a lot like you’d imagine a factory to work. It manufactures millions of products per year, with whirring machines, watchful employees and precise checkpoints along a fast-running assembly line. You could also imagine how important it is to make sure the factory doesn’t slow down, even for a second. That’s why Ash Cloud depends on iPhone, iPad and custom apps to modernise its enterprise resource planning system across the business, from sales to support, from procurement to production, from the factory to the corporate office.

At a glance

50Line conversions
per day
35MUnits produced
per year
280iPhone and iPad devices
deployed

Along the assembly line, you’ll find Apple devices.
Every aspect of the factory floor operations is powered by iOS and iPadOS.

Quality Control

Inspections without guesswork.

Quality Control

With the Ash Cloud Management custom app, assembly line supervisors and workers can access real-time product specifications so they can closely inspect everything for errors, discrepancies or faulty manufacturing procedures. They can address quality control issues before the product reaches the next stage.

Employee Access

Among other things, iPhone can be a badge.

Employee Access

Ash Cloud employees can badge in and out of confidential areas with only their iPhone. An iPad with a custom app can read a QR code from the employee’s iPhone, and their identity can be confirmed instantly. And employees can use iPad to search the company directory, check their own personal profile, submit applications, approve expenses and more.

Product Design

iPad is designed
for design.

Product Design

Using iPad and Apple Pencil, Ash Cloud designers draw, edit and collaborate on new product design ideas. The large Retina display provides a perfect canvas for refining intricate details, and Apple Pencil provides pixel‑perfect precision. Designers can then easily share their ideas with stakeholders for faster turnaround and implementation.

Line Monitoring

Apps and machines run the day.

Line Monitoring

Assembly line supervisors use a custom app on their iPhone or iPad to review assigned tasks, understand product specifications, access packing guides and check the production schedule. They distribute tasks to each employee, and the assembly line workers can record their progress along each stage, so supervisors can address any bottlenecks or slowdowns.

Inventory

Increased packing.
Reduced stacking.

Inventory

Managing product inventory levels in a factory is crucial to optimising efficiency. With the Ash Cloud Management app, supervisors can monitor inventory in real time. And with iPad and a barcode scanner app, workers can easily scan products for more accurate inventory counts even as they pack shipments.

Warehouse Management

Augmented reality can move boxes without moving any boxes.

Warehouse Management

With the large Retina display on iPad, Ash Cloud employees can reimagine the layout of their factories and distribution centres. They can precisely measure the space, push pallets around and reorganise shelf space with only a swipe, a pinch and a tap.

Only with Apple

Custom Apps

When companies develop custom apps on Swift, they’re providing a working experience that is secure, consistent and reliable. On the factory floor this means Ash Cloud’s production line keeps running smoothly, employees can learn new apps quickly, and up-to-the-minute updates and information can be accessed easily.

Partnership

By integrating iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Cisco technology, businesses can seamlessly connect to enterprise networks, optimise app performance and collaborate securely. Apple’s partnership with Cisco helps ensure that Ash Cloud’s wireless infrastructure gives employees uninterrupted access to the apps they need to work.

Results

Better efficiency, more efficiently.

An over 30% increase in production line efficiency.

More seamless production with higher quality.

Better comprehensive control and real-time management.

Share this story.

See more stories.