Digital transformation through disruptive technologies enables companies to effectively maintain differentiation and competitiveness in a rapidly and constantly evolving world and markets.
One of the technologies that has generated the most echo in manufacturing companies is augmented reality and here we will explain some reasons.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows real-world experiences to be mixed with digital content, such as superimposing images, sounds, and texts in a real environment. A practical example in the industry is being able to read the current voltage consumption of a motor just by viewing it with a mobile device or special glasses.
This technology can be used to improve productivity, quality, and safety in operations through more explicit visualizations that provide relevant information. Many companies around the world have implemented solutions with augmented reality aiming to change the way of executing processes or activities and obtaining better results. This includes more effective and involving experiences that positively impact all links in the production chain.
Augmented reality (AR) allows enhancing human capabilities and modifying the way how people interact with their work environment. This applies mainly in scenarios where deep and multidisciplinary knowledge is required to perform specialized tasks, where physical or environmental risks need to be mitigated, and where elements beyond human capacities are required to guarantee the quality of the products.
What are the benefits of augmented reality?
By unifying the real and digital worlds, augmented reality provides multiple benefits to the industry, including:
- Effective knowledge management – Trainings based on digital procedures in a real work environment allow the acquisition and maintenance of explicit, up-to-date and highly effective knowledge. It can be used for training new employees, to reinforce the knowledge of existing employees, or to include new skills or responsibilities to the different roles. This helps to minimize errors in the execution of tasks by exposing the workers to their real work environment while accelerating their learning time and adaptation to new realities or conditions. In addition, it allows to maintain knowledge as an asset of the company and not of the people.
- Efficient maintenance and support – The remote support of experts with very short response times allows the solution of machine or process problems efficiently, since specialists can access the information without interpretations that divert attention from the real problem.
- Quick and reliable access to information – Employees do not need to access files through complex routes or worry about using the latest version because each asset, machine or process has its related information updated and it is displayed only by looking at the item of interest.
- Attracting and retaining talent – Providing cutting-edge technology tools that workers can relate to their professional development generates connection, improves the work environment, and reduces staff turnover.
What is our proposal?
We are convinced that technology is not the solution but is an enabler of the solution instead. For this reason, our recommendation is not to start implementations or pilot projects on augmented reality, or another type of disruptive technology, without first carrying out an analysis that allows identifying the real cause of the problem or need and detecting the key people, processes, and elements to solve it. This implies creating a digital transformation plan with clear and measurable objectives that contain agile technological implementations to generate a transformation environment within the company.