Some segments of the Industrial sector are facing a potential crisis. As experienced plant and factory workers begin to leave, some areas are looking at a substantial lack of trained personnel to take their place. Honeywell is attempting address this with the use of virtual reality (VR).
Some reports are estimating that up to 50% of experienced industrial plant personnel are due to retire within the next five years. As a response to this, Honeywell have created a cloud-based training system called the Honeywell Connected Plant Skills Insight Immersive Competency, which is designed to close the skills gap by training up new workers in a modern and efficient way.
The Honeywell system uses a combination of mixed reality technology provided by the Microsoft HoloLens headset along with extensive data analytics and Honeywell’s experience in worker competency management to set up various scenarios, such as primary failure and switchovers or cable and power supply failure in order to train and test workers in those areas.
“Megatrends such as the aging workforce are putting increased pressure on industrial companies and their training programs,” said Youssef Mestari, program director, Honeywell Connected Plant. “There is a need for more creative and effective training delivered through contemporary methods such as Immersive Competency, ultimately empowering industrial workers to directly improve plant performance, uptime, reliability and safety.”
“Honeywell’s unique approach to industrial training and competency development, combined with Windows Mixed Reality platform and devices, is a good example of a major industrial player proactively and creatively driving digital transformation,” said Lorraine Bardeen, general manager for Mixed Reality at Microsoft. “This is the first solution that directly links industrial staff competency to plant performance by measuring the training’s effectiveness based on real outcomes.”
The mixed reality training allows workers to see the impact of decisions safely, while at the same time allowing trainees to communicate with a trainer. Research has shown that immersive training reduce the length of training periods and improved skill retention.
Further information on Honeywell’’s mixed reality training system can be found on the Honeywell website. As always, VRFocus will keep you informed on the latest developments regarding mixed reality in industry.
via Mint VR