TNO — Innovation for Life Joint venture TNO × EHV Group · Brainport Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Grounded in research.
Built for the shop floor.

Instant Instructions is a joint venture between EHV Group and TNO — the Netherlands’ largest independent applied research institute. TNO is a co-owner of Instant Productivity B.V. That structure means insights from applied research on digital work instructions and knowledge retention feed directly into how the platform evolves.

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TNO Whitepaper

What TNO themselves say about the approach

Authoring new work instructions and populating an Instant Instructions system is time-consuming. TNO is developing tools for the (semi-)automatic generation of work instructions from 3D-CAD, video, and speech, using AI. As a result, instruction authoring time will be substantially reduced. — TNO Whitepaper on Digital Work Instructions, 2024

This passage is taken from a TNO whitepaper that describes the automatic generation of work instructions from 3D-CAD, video and speech. Instant Instructions focuses specifically on the video-and-speech part: turning a shop-floor recording into a usable digital work instruction, with human review and refinement as a fixed part of the process.

By the numbers

The joint venture — what it concretely means

NL Practical experience with Dutch manufacturers Instant Instructions practical experience
JV Shared ownership with TNO EHV Group × TNO
#1 Brainport Eindhoven, a region where Smart Industry is actively developed EU Regional Innovation Scoreboard
Yours Your instructions remain your property JV agreement clause
Scientific methodology

The methodology: GRIP & TWI Job Instruction

Instant Instructions structures automatically generated work instructions according to two established methodologies: GRIP and TWI Job Instruction. Both are academically grounded and have been in industrial use for many years.

GRIP methodology

A TNO-developed approach for structuring work instructions based on task analysis and ergonomic research. GRIP minimises cognitive load on the operator — critical for complex assembly and precision manufacturing work.

Applied in: structuring AI output into steps that operators can actually follow on the shop floor.

TWI Job Instruction

Proven training methodology developed in the U.S. wartime industry (1940s), still the gold standard in lean manufacturing. Each step follows the pattern Step → Key Point → Reason.

Applied in: the structural model the AI uses to validate every generated instruction — including automatic detection of missing key points.

From orientation to first steps

Why this is relevant now

Many SME manufacturers recognise the same challenge: skilled workers are scarce, experienced staff are leaving and processes change faster than paper instructions can keep up. Digital work instructions help capture knowledge, shorten onboarding time and improve the first-time-right score on the shop floor.

Within projects and workshops around digital work instructions, different solutions are explored: from simple apps to tablets, screens and smart glasses. Instant Instructions focuses specifically on generating digital work instructions from video and speech, with human review and refinement as a fixed part of the process.

Learning from practice

The approach is based on practical experience with manufacturers already working with digital work instructions. The question is not only which technology to use, but also which type of instruction fits which process, which user and which working environment.

For one process a short checklist may be enough. For another, a step-by-step instruction with video, linked to a work order, is what’s needed. The platform supports both, but it does not make the choice for the organisation.

Alignment with the national research agenda

NXTGEN HIGHTECH: national research programmes

Within the NXTGEN HIGHTECH National Growth Fund programme, TNO and partners are working on the next generation of tools for automatic generation of work instructions. Because TNO co-owns Instant Productivity B.V., insights from this research feed into the platform’s development.

NXTGEN SI05

Autonomous Factory Common

AI tools for instruction generation from 3D-CAD, video, and speech. Research is active — output flows directly into the product roadmap. Read more about AI work instructions and what the science says.

NXTGEN SI03

Autonomous Factory Zuid

Validation of the above tools at manufacturing companies in the Brainport region. OEM customers can participate directly in these validation programmes.

FIELDLAB

RoboHouse & Factory of the Future

Demonstration environments at Brainport Industries Campus. Available for pilots, proof-of-concept evaluations, and on-site assessment.

Research-to-product

Roadmap: what is shipped, what is coming

Transparency about where research currently stands. Some TNO tools are already live in the platform, others remain in research or development phase. We claim only what we ship.

Capability Scientific basis Status
Speech-to-instruction (voice pipeline) TNO research into audio as a primary input modality alongside video In test
Semi-automatic generation from 3D-CAD NXTGEN SI05: Autonomous Factory Common — active research Research
Step-level checklist & quality validation Production process safeguards: prevents step omission In development
Multi-channel deployment (projection, smart glass, AR) TNO research on human-machine interaction in industrial contexts Live
Audit trail & session integrity Cryptographic verification per ISO/IATF compliance standards Live
IOS Selector (Technology Selector) TNO tool that gives manufacturing decision-makers a technology recommendation in 15 questions. Take the selector → Live
The structural difference

Commercial platform vs. joint venture with TNO

There are other platforms for digital work instructions on the market. What sets Instant Instructions apart is its structural embedding in a joint venture with TNO. The comparison below outlines the difference at a high level.

Typical commercial platform

  • Roadmap mainly driven by investors and market demand
  • Limited proprietary research capacity
  • Evidence of impact typically tied to customer cases per region
  • Licensing model with the usual vendor dependency
  • Limited alignment with the national Smart Industry agenda

Instant Instructions (JV with TNO)

  • Development linked to applied research and customer feedback
  • Insights from TNO research (AI, video analysis, ergonomics) feed into the roadmap
  • Practical experience with Dutch manufacturers
  • JV model: shared ownership, shared interest in continuity
  • Alignment with NXTGEN HIGHTECH and the Brainport ecosystem
What if…

Platform continuity — legally secured

One of the first questions any procurement team asks: what happens five years from now? Is our investment in populating the system protected? The JV structure provides an answer no commercial platform can offer.

§

Legally secured

Instant Productivity B.V. is an independent legal entity with shared shareholding. The platform cannot be unilaterally discontinued, sold, or pivoted by either party.

∞

Institutional stability

TNO, as a national research institute, is not subject to economic cycles or exit pressures. EHV brings commercial stability with active customer relationships in the Brainport region.

↓

Data ownership

Customers fully own their instructions, video assets, and analytics data. Export functionality is standard — no vendor lock-in. Explicit IP ownership clauses are written into the user agreement.

Part of a larger system

Brainport ecosystem: where the Netherlands invests

As a customer of Instant Instructions, you gain indirect access to the broader TNO and Brainport network — programmes in which the Netherlands invests both nationally and at EU level to strengthen advanced manufacturing.

NXTGEN HIGHTECH National Growth Fund

National investment programme in high-tech manufacturing. Instant Instructions benefits from co-funded research — customers benefit from accelerated product development.

More on NXTGEN HIGHTECH →

Interreg FOKUS & EFRO werk!werkt

EU programmes in which EHV and TNO participate, focused on knowledge retention, workforce ageing, and smart industry — broader context for our work on the factory floor.

Brainport Industries Campus

Physical hub where the high-tech manufacturing industry converges — including fieldlabs for pilots, demonstration environments, and OEM-supplier networking.

Visit the campus →

RoboHouse

Independent fieldlab for robotics and cognitive assistance systems. Used in TNO research on the next generation of digital work instructions.

More on RoboHouse →
Verify our claims

Sources & published research

We stand behind what we claim. Below are the primary sources for the figures and methodology referenced on this page.

  • TNO Whitepaper on Digital Work Instructions (2024/2025)
    Primary source for methodology and the roadmap for AI generation from 3D-CAD/video/speech.
  • Fraunhofer IPA Research (2021) — Error reduction of 20–40% with standardised digital work instructions
    International research on error reduction in digital work instructions (German research institute).
  • McKinsey & Company — Capturing the True Value of Industry 4.0
    Benchmarks on productivity gains, error reduction, and lead-time reduction in advanced manufacturing.
  • NXTGEN HIGHTECH — Autonomous Factory (SI03 + SI05)
    Programme documentation for the research lines to which Instant Productivity B.V. has direct access as co-owner.
  • EU Regional Innovation Scoreboard — Brainport Eindhoven ranked #1 most innovative region in Europe
    Independent EU ranking, basis for the Brainport regional positioning.
JV FAQ

What procurement, COOs and CFOs actually ask

What happens if TNO exits the joint venture?
The JV structure is contractually constructed to prevent unilateral exit without customer continuity provisions. In any change of shareholding: (a) existing customer contracts remain in force, (b) instruction data and export functionality remain available, and (c) research licences embedded in the platform remain vested. TNO is moreover a national research institute — not a venture-backed scale-up that may not exist next year.
Who funds the TNO research — and do we contribute via the licence fee?
The majority of the research is funded via NXTGEN HIGHTECH and EU research programmes (Interreg FOKUS, EFRO). As JV partner, Instant Productivity B.V. is entitled to direct transfer of research outputs without additional licensing costs. Customers therefore pay for the platform — not for the underlying R&D. This is a fundamental difference compared with commercial platforms that must recover their R&D through licensing.
How do I know the indicative figures (around 30%, 20–40%) are accurate?
They are indicative reference figures, based on practical experience with Dutch manufacturers and in line with international research on digital work instructions (incl. Fraunhofer IPA, McKinsey). Source passages are available on request. On your own shop floor we measure the pilot against your own KPIs: baseline at the start, results after a few weeks. No extrapolation, no borrowed reference figures.
May we review the TNO Whitepaper before deciding?
Yes. We share the relevant TNO publications and passages during a serious evaluation. Some sections are publicly available via tno.nl; others are shared directly via Instant Productivity B.V. under a simple NDA if preferred.
Can we speak with TNO directly before signing?
For larger implementations (multi-site or OEM-level), a tripartite conversation with a TNO researcher can be arranged. Request it during your first session. This is one of the structural advantages of the JV: TNO sits on the same side of the table as us, not on the other side of a licence agreement.
How does this compare to Azumuta, VKS, Tulip, or Dozuki?
Those are commercial platforms for digital work instructions, each with their own focus. The roadmap of Instant Instructions is more closely aligned with Dutch applied research because TNO is a co-owner. On capability, the main difference is the way of working: instead of typing or clicking steps from scratch, video and speech from an experienced worker form the starting point — with review and refinement by your own team as a fixed part of the process.
TNO Developed within the collaboration with TNO

Schedule an exploratory conversation.
On your own production line.

A focused, practical evaluation. We pick one production line and one or two reference procedures, capture baseline KPIs, and prepare a first working instruction on your own process and data.

  • ✓ Optional: tripartite session with a TNO researcher
  • ✓ Access to relevant TNO publications under NDA
  • ✓ First working demonstration in a single session
  • ✓ Results compared against your own KPIs after a few weeks

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