In the industrial world, there is one word that haunts every plant manager, maintenance lead, and even CEO — downtime. When it comes to operating a safe, efficient, productive, and profitable business, downtime is the one thing that industrial enterprises can’t afford. Whether it is due to a broken pulley on a conveyor belt or a workplace accident, avoiding downtime is top of mind.
For years, avoiding unplanned downtime meant teaching employees the ins and outs of workplace safety and equipment maintenance with seminars, printed materials, and on-site sessions. Today, however, there is a 21st century solution fundamentally changing the world of industrial maintenance and safety — virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
AR and VR in the Industrial Space
VR is a 3D virtual environment that a user can become immersed in by wearing goggles. With motion tracking or hand controls, the user can interact with that environment and explore their surroundings. On the other hand, AR enhances the user’s environment by inputting a layer of virtual information on top of what they are already seeing. So how are the industrial leaders of today using this technology to empower their employees and reduce unplanned downtime?
One of the most impactful uses of augmented reality comes in the form of enhancing the efficiency of the actual maintenance processes. Maintenance workers can use AR glasses that overlay critical information for performing both equipment repair and preventative maintenance. For example, while repairing a hydraulic pump on an auto manufacturer’s assembly line, the maintenance worker could have the actual steps for disassembly overlay on the equipment, giving step-by-step instructions for how to perform the repair. The AR platform could also provide them real-time information on pump pressure, temperatures, and other safety-critical data to help them perform a fast and safe repair. When they look at a specific bolt on the pump, AR could display the exact torque specifications for the part to ensure proper assembly. The possibilities for AR to make maintenance workers faster and more efficient are nearly endless.
Virtual reality has equally robust possibilities for supporting industrial maintenance and repair. One of the biggest advantages of VR in this realm is keeping down costs. In the past, for employees to get hands-on experience with equipment for training, they needed to either shut down the plant (leading to dreaded downtime) or use equipment designated for training, which often meant running one employee at a time through the training, an immense waste of valuable time. With VR, employees could potentially get hands-on experience with any piece of equipment instantly. Large groups of employees can complete the training at the same time, rather than all crowding around one piece of equipment waiting for a turn. Training can be completed without having to shut down the plant, and users can learn at their own pace, repeat areas where they need more clarification, and redo training at any time to brush up their knowledge.
Growing Acceptance
Companies across many industries are seeing the promise and potential savings of investment in AR/VR solutions for training their employees and maintaining their equipment — and investing accordingly. In fact, a recent report from the Industrial Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2023, the commercial use cases of AR/VR that are forecast to receive the two largest investments are training ($8.5 billion) and industrial maintenance ($4.3 billion). In 2020 alone, IDC also reports that commercial use cases will account for nearly half of all AR/VR spending, led by training ($2.6 billion) and industrial maintenance ($914 million) use cases. This type of spending can mean only one thing — organizations are quickly seeing the advantages of leveraging virtual and augmented reality to improve their business operations and maintenance processes.
Some of the biggest players in industrial are already using AR/VR to drive change in their maintenance operations. GE Aviation and GE Renewable Energy are leveraging AR technology from Upskill to increase efficiencies for their mechanics and maintenance professionals. Whether it’s assembly, maintenance and repair, inspection, or field service, leaders in Industry 4.0 are putting AR and VR to use for their businesses.
Outlook
For the remainder of 2020 and beyond, you can expect AR/VR to find many new use cases to help increase efficiency, drive down maintenance and training costs, and decrease downtime for industrial organizations. From gas and oil to food production and automotive manufacturing — and everything in between — look for AR glasses and VR goggles to become common accessories for maintenance workers worldwide.
