ITM Power is a global leader in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser technology, enabling the production of green hydrogen using renewable electricity and water. Green hydrogen is a key enabler of the energy transition, helping industries reduce carbon emissions while supporting net-zero objectives.
Headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom, ITM Power has spent more than two decades advancing hydrogen technology and delivering large-scale electrolysis systems for industrial, mobility and energy applications.
Manufacturing hydrogen electrolysers requires exceptional precision. Every electrolyser stack consists of numerous components that must be assembled in the correct order and orientation to achieve maximum efficiency and reliability.
At ITM Power, each stack required approximately 20 hours of manual assembly, involving more than 1,000 individual process steps. Operators manually positioned hundreds of critical components across multiple layers, making the process both time-consuming and vulnerable to human error.
Traditional paper instructions and manual inspections created several challenges:
As production volumes increased, ITM Power required a scalable solution that could standardise manual assembly while maintaining the highest quality standards.
To digitise the assembly process, ITM Power implemented Ansomat's Operator Guidance platform, combining digital work instructions, augmented reality (AR) and machine vision inspection into a single controlled workflow.
Instead of relying on paper documentation, operators now receive interactive, step-by-step instructions projected directly onto the workpiece. Every assembly action is guided, validated and recorded before the workflow continues.
The integrated vision system automatically verifies each manually placed component in real time. Incorrect positioning or missing parts are detected immediately, preventing defects from progressing further through production.
The result is a fully controlled assembly process that ensures every operator follows the same validated procedure regardless of experience level.
The digital assembly solution provides:
By combining operator guidance with automated inspection, ITM Power transformed a highly manual process into a controlled digital manufacturing workflow.
“Deal with +1,000 steps and +3,500 vision checks for every product built.”
Quality & Efficiency Improvements
Quality consistency increased dramatically across all production shifts, while rework and scrap were significantly reduced. As a result, operators gained confidence and were able to work faster and more accurately.
| KPI | Before Ansomat | After Ansomat | Business Impact |
| First-Time-Right | 64% | 99% | 35 percentage point improvement, dramatically reducing rework |
| Assembly Guidance | Paper/manual instructions | Digital AR work instructions | Consistent execution across all operators |
| Quality Inspection | Manual visual inspection | 3,600+ automated vision inspections | Higher inspection accuracy and repeatability |
| Defect Detection | End-of-line | Real-time during assembly | Errors corrected immediately instead of later |
| Traceability | Limited | 100% digital image and process history | Faster root-cause analysis and compliance |
| Operator Errors | Dependent on experience | Guided and validated workflow | Reduced human error |
| Rework | Frequent | Significantly reduced | Lower labour and material costs |
| Scrap Risk | High | Greatly reduced | Improved product yield |
| Operator Training | Longer learning curve | Guided digital workflow | Faster onboarding and greater flexibility |
| Production Consistency | Shift-dependent | Standardised across all shifts | Predictable product quality |
| Production Visibility | Limited | Real-time process monitoring | Better production management |
| Scalability | Difficult to increase output | Standardised digital process | Easier production expansion |
Hydrogen technology is becoming a critical component of the global transition towards clean energy. Reliable manufacturing processes are essential for producing electrolysers at scale while maintaining the quality required for industrial applications.
By digitising manual assembly, ITM Power can manufacture complex hydrogen systems with greater consistency, improved productivity and significantly fewer defects.
Its electrolysers support applications including:
Digital operator guidance enables ITM Power to scale production confidently while supporting the growing global demand for sustainable energy technologies.
Manufacturers across automotive, aerospace, electronics and advanced manufacturing use Ansomat to eliminate errors in manual assembly processes.
Our platform combines:
Together, these capabilities help manufacturers improve First-Time-Right performance, reduce rework, increase throughput and achieve complete process control.
If your manufacturing involves complex manual assembly with quality risks, we can help you:
