For the past decade or so, Augmented Reality (AR) tech has been the domain of video games, art installations, and theme parks. But as the technology has progressed and become more accessible, it has spread to more practical areas like medicine, energy, and in particular, manufacturing. Augmented reality training provides heavy industry businesses with team-wide consistency, low risk of injury or equipment damage, and easy upskilling opportunities – all with just an iPad and an app. In this blog, we’ll be diving deep into the benefits and realities of AR technology in the manufacturing and production industry.

Cost Effectiveness

Above all else, manufacturing businesses are adopting AR technologies into their workflows because they’re extremely cost effective. The majority of AR developers are able to design, develop, implement, and maintain bespoke software at lower costs and stronger results than traditional training organisations. AR is also able to provide further uses beyond just training, as you’ll learn below, further boosting the cost effectiveness of AR implementation.

Remote Access Training

With an effective AR training suite, you’ll be able to deliver immersive and effective visual training to anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. Even if you’re a US brand establishing your first factory in China, or a French manufacturer moving production to Turkey, you can ensure that all your factories around the world are learning and operating from a single source of truth. It also boosts the cost effectiveness of training, as you don’t need to bring new recruits on-site and/or shut down any machinery.

Retraining & Certification

Most manufacturers need to keep their employees at a specific level of certification, often monitored through third party organisations like peak bodies or labour unions. AR training streamlines this process, allowing individuals to recertify their skills in their own time and without the need to bring a large number of employees together. 

Additionally, when new machinery or processes are introduced to a facility, intensive retraining may be necessary to ensure production isn’t disrupted. With AR training available for the new technology, employees can be prepared to jump onto the production floor and begin work immediately.

On-site Digital Manuals

Maintaining effective and up-to-date manuals for each machine in your facility can either take up a lot of physical space or become a nightmare of digital filing. With an AR solution, workers can quickly and easily scan a marker (like a QR code or barcode) on the machine in question to immediately download the most up-to-date manual to their handheld device. And if your AR suite includes headsets like the Hololens, Vision Pro, or Google Glass, workers will be able to have the manual displayed in front of them while still keeping their hands free to work.

Equipment Maintenance

Complex machinery requires very specific knowledge to repair and service properly. With an AR model of the equipment on hand and purpose-built training modules, maintenance personnel can drastically improve service speeds without compromising on results. And in the near future, machine learning algorithms will become available that allow for swift troubleshooting of malfunctions and provide real-time visual guides on conducting repairs.

If you’re a manufacturer – or a training organisation who works with heavy industry clients – and you’re looking to streamline your training processes, AR is the perfect solution. Saving your workers time, effort, and money while delivering cutting-edge training is easy with this new tech, and  the results speak for themselves. If you’re looking to learn more, reach out to us today at https://ardacious.com/contact/.