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Which augmented reality (AR) solutions to use for optimizing manufacturing?

Many companies have only felt the need to significantly transform their business models in line with digital transformation trends in the past year and a half; however, this process has been on the horizon for a long time. Fortunately, technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and augmented reality (AR) are already available, making it possible for companies to complete their transition quickly and smoothly.

In our past posts we mainly focused on IoT, but this time we are putting AR front and center. Even though many people still associate AR with entertainment and video games, it is becoming increasingly established in resolving business challenges. Even though it can be applied across different fields, we will mostly focus on manufacturing and maintenance.

The role of augmented reality in manufacturing

Augmented reality (AR) is a visual and interactive method for presenting digital information in the physical environment, connecting employees and contributing to better business results.

This sound just lovely, but how can manufacturing companies actually use it? In brief; the combination of digital content and real-life work environments offers better opportunities for creating and sharing work instructions, and is also simple to use and operate. Its main task is to provide workers in manufacturing with important information exactly when they need them, regardless of their location.

Optimizing work processes with the PTC Vuforia platform

The transition to Industry 4.0 is no small matter, however, modern platforms that have already proven their worth in practice can make work significantly easier. You can begin using them immediately through cloud services, avoiding the long and taxing development of a turnkey solution.

As the proud partner of the major US vendor PTC, we can help your company overcome business challenges with the Vuforia platform. It is built utilizing the experience from different industries and supports a simple implementation. Even though smart 3D glasses, such as Realware HTM-1 or Microsoft HoloLens are recommended for use, it also works great with smartphones and tablets. And to top it off, we make sure that the platform completely suits your needs and desires.

PTC’s AR platform is used by many of major global corporations (e.g. Henkel, Fujitsu, Lego, Mercedes-Benz, etc.), and you can join them, too. Vuforia is available in 6 versions, aimed at optimizing work processes. Below we describe two that from what we have seen so far, significantly resolve the challenges faced by manufacturing companies stepping onto the path of digital transformation; meet Expert Capture and Chalk.

Vuforia Expert Capture: Retain the know-how of your best experts

Vuforia Expert Capture is the fastest and simplest way to capture and share your experts’ know-how with your other employees. It allows experts to create dynamic step-by-step instructions in the format of standard operating procedures (SOP) that are otherwise generally available only in extensive documents.

By utilizing AR, you can elevate training to a higher level, simplify maintenance and make sure that the know-how is not lost when people leave. Once the application has been set up, it is up to you to:
- capture individual work processes from the employee’s perspective in a fast and simple way, without any interruption to the work
- stop the process at certain steps to provide additional alerts about potential dangers or things that could be missed
- instantly share the recordings with other employees

This all leads to a number of important improvements, such as a faster and more adaptable work force, fewer errors in work processes, a higher level of security and accuracy, and faster training for new hires with increased knowledge retention, compared to traditional methods.

Vuforia Chalk: Live interactive assistance

The Vuforia Chalk application can be used individually, and it can also be an excellent companion to the Vuforia Expert Capture. Augmented reality with live communication supports fast and effective problem resolution through collaboration between your experts and your employees out in the field. It can also be of great use when resolving issues with customers.

This is how collaboration works in practice:
- when a worker in the field encounters an issue, the app connects them to an expert through a video call
- the worker then records the location where there is an issue using the app with automatic object recognition on their phone, tablet or smart glasses
- the expert helps the worker resolve the issues in real time by drawing on the screen and utilizing additional digital accessories, and gives the worker instructions for resolving the issue

Vuforia Chalk is also useful in these times when we are striving to reduce personal contact. It can be used to remotely resolve issues that previously required a visit to the location, avoiding direct contact and saving on time. And last but not least, it contributes to a higher quality of services and encourages collaboration across different levels of the company.

It always comes down to employees

We have to put special focus on how employees adopt new technologies, approaching this matter carefully and professionally. They are the ones who will be using these tools, so they need to be properly introduced to them, trained on how to use them and convinced that these tools will help them in their work.

Augmented reality technology has proven successful in the past especially because it not only makes sure that employees become better at their tasks by being guided through work processes in a new way, but it also helps them forge a better connection with their work. Our experience shows that people are generally enthusiastic about the benefits that technology brings. And we believe your company will be too.

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