The new Advanced Welder Training Centre (AWTC) at Regency Campus has 12 augmented reality welding simulators which can provide instant feedback on student performance, maximise safety and enhance the development of welding techniques through multiple practice welding without the need for time-consuming material preparation.

Simulators will assist local welders to become job ready and respond to the increased demand for their skills as part of the Australian government’s $90 billion continuous Naval Shipbuilding Program.

The Naval Shipbuilding College’s Paul Whetstone congratulated TAFE SA for being an innovator of industry-leading technologies.

“The College is a facilitator which helps to align training and educational institutions nationally to the needs of naval shipbuilding industry, so graduates are job-ready,” said  Whetstone.

“We collaborated with TAFE SA and Weld Australia in the analysis of welding and pipe welding requirements, specifically for naval shipbuilding industry requirements.

“The opening of the centre supports our recommendations that welding simulators be incorporated with traditional welding training to speed up the development of welding skills in novice welders,” he said.

The rate at which technology advances within naval ship construction techniques is very rapid, so having people who are experienced and willing to embrace new technologies is a step in the right direction, said Whetstone.

Last year the TAFE SA welding qualification was the first in Australia to be endorsed by the College. The Naval Shipbuilding College was established in 2018 by the Australian Government to identify and support the development of a highly skilled national workforce that will be required to deliver the $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise.

“The connectivity, when operating at sea, was remarkable and the hands-free equipment meets our onboard safety standards,” said TT-Lines superintendent Thomas Bus

The simulations were monitored in real-time by technology provider Wärtsilä in Gothenburg and Hamburg. The company reported that using its equipment, ship crew members, field service engineers and shipyard personnel can communicate with shore-based experts anywhere in the world.

Wärtsilä Marine future technologies product manager, seals and bearings Thomas Pauly said: “Regardless of where the equipment is located on the vessel, we can provide rapid troubleshooting and technical advice, thus saving the customer both time and costs. It’s like having a service engineer onboard.”

A further demonstration of the remote guidance service capability in TT-Lines’ office highlighted potential use in dockings and shipyard overhauls.

Wärtsilä announced that it had added AR service capability for its seals and bearings business in August 2018. The use of the technology speeds up the service and repair of stern tube equipment and also enables inspections, alignment measurements, on-site machining, shaft straightening and newbuilding commissioning without having a service engineer on board.

The panel comprised:

1. Nikki Jones (NJ) Director of the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre.
2. Donna Edwards (DE), Programme Director for the Made Smarter North West Pilot
3. Brian Holliday (BH), Managing Director for Siemens Digital Factory

Questions answered by the panel include:

• How is Industry 4.0 shaping the manufacturing sector’s skills requirements?
• What is your organisation doing to address this skills gap?
• What impact are these measures having?
• What advice would you give to other organisations looking to build their in-house Industry 4.0 expertise?

To read their full responses see the original Q&A transcription.

“Driven by the acceleration of e-commerce along with customer’s heightened expectations and more focus within companies on differentiating service levels, the field operations industry is rapidly adapting the way it looks at its mobile technology investments,” said Jim Hilton, Director of Vertical Marketing Strategy, Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics, Zebra Technologies.

“Our study shows how growing challenges related to the on-demand economy drive organizations to adopt transformative, disruptive technologies such as augmented reality and intelligent labels to provide visibility and integrate business intelligence for a performance edge.”

KEY SURVEY FINDINGS

Equipping front-line workers with enterprise mobile devices remains a priority to stay competitive.

• The survey shows today only one-fifth of organizations have a majority of their field-based operations using enterprise mobile devices. This is estimated to reach 50 percent in five years.
• Respondents indicate most organizations intend to invest in handheld mobile computers, mobile printers and rugged tablets. From 2018 to 2023, handheld mobile computer usage with built-in barcode scanners is forecasted to grow by 45 percent, mobile printers by 53 percent and rugged tablets by 54 percent. The higher levels of inventory, shipment and asset accuracy provided by using these devices is expected to increase business revenues.
• A key driver of productivity, efficiency and cost-savings in field operations is ensuring ruggedized enterprise devices replace traditional consumer ones. Nearly 80 percent of respondents usually or always conduct a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of business devices prior to making a capital expenditure. Only 32 percent of respondents believe that consumer smartphones have better TCO than rugged devices.

Tertiary concerns and post-sale factors are important for organizations when evaluating front-line worker enterprise mobile devices.

• The survey reveals these TCO considerations when investing in new front-line enterprise technology: replacement (47 percent), initial device (44 percent), application development (44 percent) and programming/IT (40 percent).
• Almost 40 percent of respondents say device management and support costs are important as well as customer service (37 percent), device lifecycle cadence (36 percent) and repair costs (35 percent). Such factors increasingly influence the purchase cycle, showing that those who do not provide clear value or cannot control these costs will quickly be overtaken by those who do.

Emerging technologies and faster networks are disrupting field operations.

• The survey shows seven in ten organizations agree faster mobile networks will be a key driver for field operations investment to enable the use of disruptive technology.
• Significant industry game-changers will be droids and drones, with over a third of decision makers citing them as the biggest disruptors.
• The use of smart technologies such as sensors, RFID, and intelligent labels also play a role in transforming the industry. More than a quarter of respondents continue to view augmented/virtual reality (29 percent), sensors (28 percent), RFID and intelligent labels (28 percent) as well as truck loading automation (28 percent) as disruptive factors.

KEY REGIONAL FINDINGS

• Asia Pacific: 44 percent of respondents consider truck loading automation will be among one of the most disruptive technologies, compared respectively to 28 percent globally.
• Europe, Middle East and Africa: 70 percent of respondents agree e-commerce is driving the need for faster field operations.
• Latin America: 83 percent agree that faster wireless networks (4G/5G) are driving greater investment in new field operations technologies, compared with 70 percent of the global sample.
• North America: 36 percent of respondents plan to implement rugged tablets in the next year.

Augmented reality (AR), which puts digital representations of objects into your physical space, could be the key to changing how we think about work. AR has quickly evolved from a laboratory experiment to a staple in pop culture, entertainment, and media, and 67 percent of organizations are considering incorporating it into their procedures.

Augmented reality is already being used in an immersive technology called holoportation.

A special set of cameras captures an object or person in 3D, which (or who) can then be placed in a physical space anywhere in the world as a hologram. You can then hear, respond, and interact with that person as if he or she were in the room with you. Health-care innovators have already used the principle to create simulated, realistic anatomical human models that students can summon in their dorm rooms and use to practice surgical procedures.

With 43 percent of Americans working remotely at least some of the time, holoportation could be transformative. Meanwhile, for companies, it could allow them to connect with rare, specialized expertise instantly, no matter where they are based. And it could completely change standard office processes and interactions.

For example, DAQRI, an L.A.-based company, is bringing AR into the workplace with its Smart Helmet and Smart Glasses, which employees at companies like Space X and BMW are already using to improve their workflows, according to DAQRI co-founder Gaia Dempsey.

“You have all that intelligence and tools in your AR device and you can pull down the 3D models and use them for an inspection, or assembly workflow or design process as you’re going through your job building a Space X rocket or building a BMW car,” said Dempsey.

Training employees for new roles could also be made easier with augmented reality. In one case study, a Siemens employee learned how to assemble a gas burner—a process that usually takes about a day—in just 45 minutes. And Dempsey believes AR can help them retain the information better, too. “It’s not just the fact that you’re following step-by-step work instructions and you only know how to do it when the information is there,” she said. “It’s also because it’s an intuitive and kinesthetic way of conveying the information. The parts of your brain responsible for spatial awareness and pattern matching and building intuition are all getting activated so that is staying with you after the fact.”

Beyond just training lone employees, augmented reality could play an important role in team-oriented, high-stakes occupations—like teaching firefighters to work together under pressure, bandmates being able to practice together even if they’re miles apart, or high-level executives being able to really feel connected and collaborative in the event of a PR crisis that must be addressed.

An augmented reality office could also attract specialized talent from anywhere and could cut down on the overhead costs necessitated by a physical office or the transportation of employees or talent. Dempsey said that DAQRI’s Remote Expert can connect your field of view to an expert anywhere in the world who can give you guidance at any time, whether you’re a driver changing a tire or a plant employee manufacturing a part.

And this new way of approaching work could also allay increasing anxiety about robots taking over human jobs, per Dempsey. “If you can imagine putting on a pair of glasses and learning how to do anything, that could transform the dynamics in the economy and the workforce,” she explained. “It means that you will never be automated out of a job, because you can learn anything.”

When you deal with business to business (B2B) sales, all properties of your product or service must persuade the potential client that it will increase their company’s profit. There should also be something impressive in your offer that makes it stand out. This is where AR can enter the stage and become a handy sales and client engagement tool that you can create with the help of your company’s developers.

Kostusev explores three potential AR use cases he has noticed for B2B sales in his role.

Product Presentations

By enhancing your presentation with AR, you can visualize and highlight the aspects of your offer that require special attention in the most realistic and immersive way. It can be especially useful when displaying real property, like Realtor.com does, or large products such as industrial machines (think CAT). But the most well-known example is probably IKEA, who used augmented reality to allow clients (both consumers and businesses) to try furniture in their offices and apartments by superimposing it on the surroundings with the IKEA Place app.

There are two key advantages to this approach. First, it can make interacting with the client remotely easier and more enjoyable. Second, the clients can see all the perks of the product without physically interacting with it.

Exhibitions

When you talk to your client in private, you’ve already gained an advantage — the client is talking to you instead of your competitors. Exhibitions are a completely different environment. You need to stand out among dozens of other companies. And this is another marketing application of AR — you can use it to attract visitors to your stand.

Considering the hype around AR, which still won’t cease, just mentioning it in your flyers or on the banner can be a hook for exhibition visitors. Take the example of Ford. The company used AR to attract visitors during the 2017 North American International Auto Show. The visitor could sit inside the car and at the same time see what was happening under the hood on a big screen. The exhibit not only impressed visitors but also made headlines and increased the company’s visibility.

Another example is Motorex — an oil company that amazed guests using an AR-powered interactive factory tour. The tour video shows AR stopping points where visitors could enjoy hidden content using their smartphones.

Data Visualizations

When you’re presenting something more abstract than an excavator or a next-gen Ford Focus, it may be hard to convey the value of your offer, especially when it involves complex data that’s hard to visualize. Here, AR can come into play in the form of an interactive three-dimensional visualization.

This use case for AR is only emerging in B2B sales, but there’s already a solid technical background for it. According to a project participant’s description, IBM Immersive Insights is a visualization tool that presents data in 3D space, making it easier to explore data and grasp the insights it provides. In an experiment detailed by an IBM representative, IBM engineers used the tool to visualize Instacart’s data grocery purchases and thus better understand user purchasing patterns. Although it’s not related directly to B2B sales, I believe this case shows the potential AR has in complex data visualization both for internal use and for presenting your value proposition.

Next the author looks at AR Challenges To Overcome, such as considering hardware that is specifically designed for AR support and with high image processing speed.  He warns against the pitfall of too-high anticipations often associated with this technology.

The article concludes by the author looking at what is next for AR Solutions For B2B Sales.

You can read the article in full here.

“AR is becoming an important tool for how knowledge is shared within heavy industry, allowing workers to get the information they need, when they need it, in an intuitive way,” said Scott Montgomerie, CEO and co-founder of Scope AR, in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the support of our new and existing investors to accelerate our growth and development during a crucial inflection point in the market. It underscores, yet again, that enterprise AR is a leading driver within mixed reality thanks to the impressive ROI and growing list of use cases the technology enables.”

According to the company, some of the brands realizing efficiency gains and cost savings from Scope AR’s WorkLink and Remote AR products are Lockheed Martinand Unilever. With Remote AR, Unilever claims a 50% reduction in downtime, and Lockheed Martin reports that it has reduced overall training time by 85%, according to Scope AR.

The company has now raised a total of $15.8 million in capital. Romulus Capital led the latest round, with existing investors SignalFire, Susa Ventures, Haystack, New Stack Ventures, North American Corporation, and Angel List also participating. In addition, Krishna Gupta, founder and managing partner of Romulus Capital, and Wayne Hu, managing director of SignalFire, will take seats on the board of directors overseeing Scope AR.

Read more at Next Reality.

Today’s manufacturers are staying competitive by incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology into the selling process, and they are increasing revenue as a result. Here are three ways that AR can help manufacturers of built-to-order products like industrial equipment make more sales.

Accelerate sales cycles

The sales cycle for built-to-order products is a lengthy process that typically involves multiple rounds of re-configurations and quotes before a deal is made. Any speed bumps along the way can impact the customer’s eagerness to buy and potentially derail a sale altogether.

Manufacturers can accelerate the sales cycle by using AR to provide full-scale digital renditions of built-to-order products that buyers can conjure on their own turf. Product demonstrations that use AR technology give customers a better feel for the product and the impact it will have on their business, faster than ever before.

Sales teams can quickly edit a digital AR experience when customers ask for design updates or re-configurations, speeding what was previously a slower process. Additionally, with shorter cycles, sales teams will have more bandwidth to make additional deals that further increase revenue.

Improve customer engagement

Chances are that buyers of expensive built-to-order industrial products are comparison shopping during their search and may be talking to other providers throughout the sales process. Keeping them engaged with the product they’ve expressed interest in is critical—particularly in the early stages of the buyer’s journey.

AR authoring software allows manufacturers to quickly and easily provide highly personalized demonstrations that not only keep leads warm, but also increases their confidence in making a purchase. In today’s global marketplace, interactive AR experiences are a scalable and affordable option for driving better customer engagement, which leads to more sales.

Differentiate products

Lastly, the use of AR technology can be a unique differentiator for built-to-order product manufacturers in a fiercely competitive market. As buyers navigate what can be an overwhelming purchase journey, they will welcome any leading-edge technology or features that make products stand out.

AR experiences are beneficial to both buyers and sellers, as they make the sales cycle smoother, faster, and more affordable. Customers take notice of brands that are using innovative technology because they know they are also bringing that same passion, focus, and energy to their products. Manufacturers that differentiate themselves with technology like AR get more leads and make more sales as a result.

“Imagination Park will utilize Microsoft Azure to power XenoHolographic^TM, our cloud-based augmented reality platform, offering companies the ability to provide enhanced augmented reality experiences to customers on a global scale,” said Alen Paul Silverrstieen, President & CEO, Imagination Park Technologies Inc. “I personally approached Microsoft senior executives last month and now we’re excited to partner with the Microsoft Enterprise Sales and Marketing teams worldwide, broadening our channel to deliver these types of XenoHolographic^TM AR experiences to a wider audience.”

Imagination Park selected the Azure platform as it enables security, reliability and the ability to scale very quickly.  With some of the largest brands and professional sports teams with large audience/fan interaction it is critical that our infrastructure can handle rapid growth, and the artificial intelligence to log and analyze the data captured from these augmented reality engagements.

Imagination Park Technologies Inc. is an augmented reality (AR) platform that enables businesses of any size to create and implement their own AR campaigns with no programming or technology experience. Every organization, from professional sports franchises to small retailers, can develop interactive AR campaigns that blend the real and digital worlds.

Customers simply point their mobile device at logos, signs, buildings, products, landmarks and more to instantly engage videos, information, advertisements, coupons, 3D holograms and any interactive content all hosted in the cloud and managed using a menu-driven portal. Integrated real-time analytics means that all customer interaction is tracked and measured in real-time. The AR Enterprise platform supports both IOS and Android mobile devices and upcoming wearable technologies.

Previous articles have examined other talks such as by Scope AR another AREA member. Joining the list is Atheer‘s work with Porsche to drive 40 percent faster maintenance using AR assistance. This says a lot according to Atheer’s Amar Dhaliwal at AWE, given that Porsche was already operating at an elite level.

“These are some of the most trained, certified and competent auto technicians in the world,” he said (video below). “It can take ten years to actually become a gold-certified technician. Yet when Porsche rolled out AR, it was able to achieve a 40 percent reduction in service resolution time.”

In fairness, this isn’t a new figure. In fact, Dhaliwal is first to admit that Porsche has already publicized the 40 precent stat, and for good reason. It’s a subtle message that they’re investing in AR so that customers are in good hands. This makes AR part operational and part marketing.

“When somebody’s going into a Porsche dealership they probably came from a Mercedes dealership and going to BMW next,” he said. “Porsche wants to be able to tell customers ‘Not only are you buying the best technology, but we’ll look after you once we’ve sold you the technology.”

This message makes sense because Porsche’s point of deployment for AR is at the dealer level. It’s the dealer-centered technicians that are using AR to fix cars that Porsche owners bring in locally. So AR’s presence and value can be that much more apparent to the end customer.

As for how it achieved that 40 percent, the first step is planning and needs-assessment. AR is only successful when applied in the right places. As we heard from Scope AR, it’s not a silver bullet: It can only be successful when used to solve specific problems in specific job roles.

Here, one important distinction according to Dhaliwal is training versus guidance. AR doesn’t really do much for jobs that require training (repetitive, simple tasks). But it can have lots of impact in jobs that need guidance (complex, non-repetitive tasks). Pinpointing this should be step one.

“We’ll start by saying ‘what is it that you’re trying to do?’” he said. “If they’re trying to do something that sounds better for training, we’ll say ‘we’re not the right partner for you, because deploying this technology to solve this problem will not have the ROI that you’re looking for’.”

The next step is to win over end-users, such as technicians — a lesson we’ve heard over and over. And the name of the game is simplicity. For example, when possible, start with simpler forms of AR such as remote assistance, before graduating to things like pre-authored sequences.

“Industrial workers, the people who are the principle users AR, have very low tolerance for complexity.” said Dhaliwal. “Complexity is your enemy when rolling out to the industrial worker. That’s a fact and I think it’s important in terms of how we design solutions as an industry.”

And the simplicity angle works on many levels. Atheer also owes its success with Porsche to simplifying the business model. In its case, it faced an additional challenge of working with individual dealers, so it created an end-to-end offer where it handles all of the logistics.

“All the glasses come into our office,” said Dhaliwal. “We pre-install the software, set up the users, put in all of the manuals and guidance. We package them up with Porsche’s branding and send them out to the dealers, because Porsche is saying “that’s not what we’re experts in.”

Several of these tactics make enterprise AR success factors extend well beyond the technology itself. It’s about speaking the language, knowing the vertical you’re selling into and PR. That brings us back to the first point: AR can boost, and be boosted by, fundamentals in marketing.

“Act like a marketer,” advises Dhaliwal. “Porsche chose to brand everything as ‘Tech Live Look.’ So everything they do, every press release, every analysts briefing, they talk about the program. Internally, the posters and packaging… when glasses go out… everything is branded.”

The talk can be seen by watching here: Amar Dhaliwal (Atheer) How Porsche Transformed Automotive Dealer Service with AR: