"We are facing the same challenges as our customers in connection with the resumption of operations on site," comments Andreas König, CEO of ProGlove. "We also had to review our internal processes in terms of safety and efficiency. Humans are creatures of habit and have a natural tendency to do things the way they have always done them. But the coronavirus has changed everything. Keeping your distance is now the order of the day for a safe return to the workplace."

The new ProGlove Connect Proximity app helps workers to keep the right distance from each other. Regardless of whether they are working on a production line, in a distribution center or in the warehouse. To do this, the app uses a new level of the existing feedback option. Proximity can be used stand-alone on an Android device or connected to a ProGlove back-of-hand barcode scanner.

Workers who are in close proximity to each other then receive an alarm. This warning consists of a combination of audio sound, optical LED light and haptic vibration signal. It can also be output on the MARK wearable barcode scanner. This is particularly important in noisy working environments. This is because there is a comparatively high probability that the warning message on the Android device will be lost due to the noise level alone.

"We have tested the MARK upgrade on our own assembly line and are now rolling it out," comments Konstantin Brunnbauer, Vice President Logistics and Production at ProGlove. "It's not easy for my team not to fall back into old patterns. However, with this additional reminder, we can reliably maintain the safety distance."

The new ProGlove Connect Proximity app beta is the first phase of the company's software initiative to support social distancing in the workplace. Phase two is about making distance data available at device level in the ProGlove software application. Managers can use this information to quickly and easily identify bottlenecks in the warehouse and make changes to designs, schedules or workflows.

The app upgrade is free for existing customers. For new customers, the function also contributes to safety and efficiency in operations. It can be used on Android devices alone or in conjunction with the MARK barcode scanner.