Why haven’t you started using AR to improve maintenance and service in your organization?
It is crucial in nearly every manufacturing business to invest in complex equipment and machinery. Over time, the usage of that equipment and machinery leads to the inevitable need for maintenance and service. This can cause major delays and become extremely costly, time-consuming, and disruptive to your operations.
New smart, connected products have IoT-enabled predictive maintenance capabilities, but the process of servicing them often requires experienced, highly-specialized product experts. Using augmented reality (AR), industrial organizations can leverage the knowledge of these experts to remotely guide field technicians through complex procedures. Listed below are three ways that augmented reality improves how manufacturers maintain and service machinery.
Better install & fix rates with AR instruction overlays
When assembling something from a set of written instructions, it’s extremely easy for things to be misinterpreted, lost in translation, or simply not seen. While servicing a piece of large, complex industrial equipment, these stakes are even higher and the risk becomes even larger. A small amount of downtime can cost you millions of dollars.
Wearable AR technology enables technicians to view step-by-step instructions, hands-free, while simultaneously looking at the physical product that they’re working on. Technicians are able to visualize each component of the equipment, inside and out, while understanding it’s assembly and the function of each part. This kind of transparency is incredibly valuable to both the technician and the customer while installing and fixing complex products. It allows technicians to perform their job efficiently and comfortably, while also allowing the customer to enjoy maximized up-time and profitability.
Unlock knowledge from subject matter experts with 3D experiences
Experts can remotely guide and assist field technicians using mobile-driven AR technology; giving them real-time assistance if they get stuck or need information. By reducing the number of service visits and technicians, you can also decrease costs and increase efficiency.
Using an AR remote assistance app (such as Vuforia Chalk for example), experts can guide on-site technicians through the complicated procedures. This provides you with instantaneous help and a fast solution. The expert is able direct the on-site technician and show them what they need to do using annotations that anchor to real-world objects. AR provides the ability to virtually deliver problems to an expert. The benefits to this are endless; resulting in a more seamless resolution experience, lower costs, less headaches, faster service, and more.
Contract renewals, upsell opportunities, and more
Better, efficient service leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. When service teams adhere to their contracts, they don’t risk facing SLA penalties. This strengthens the customer relationship, opens the door for upsell opportunities, simplifies processes, and results in a more loyal customer base.