Why AR is the Best Choice for Work Instruction Software

Manufacturers are having to implement increasingly complex manufacturing lines to keep up with ever-changing markets, making it critical to upskill new and existing employees as quickly as possible. Training people to learn complicated skills in today’s manufacturing plant requires the use of innovative, forward-thinking technology.

Augmented reality (AR) has transformed the way information is shared and stored within manufacturing. The use of Digital Work Instructions is an example of an application of AR that is transforming the manufacturing workplace. AR allows you to offer immersive training experiences that remove the need for lengthy PowerPoints and textbooks, which can be timely and expensive to update.

The looming skills gap

Manufacturers are finding it harder than ever to fill the jobs they need to meet growing customer demand. Nearly 51% of manufacturing executives cited “maintaining or increasing production levels to satisfy growing customer demand” as the biggest challenge arising from not filling jobs over the next three years.

Combined with the fact that the average worker within manufacturing is 55 years old, the skills shortage is something that every manufacturer should be preparing for. As older, more experienced employees start to approach retirement, they may well take their hard-won industry knowledge with them.

This is why you need:

• A way of sharing and spreading knowledge instantly and remotely throughout an organization.
• Work instruction software and programs that you can use to upskill your employees to the highest standard in the least time possible.

As production lines are becoming more complex and thus requiring more knowledgeable employees, many manufacturers are using AR to build a training experience that delivers expertise to new employees in a manner that is time and cost effective and scalable.

What is augmented reality?

AR is a digital experience that overlays data onto a user’s line of sight. AR is not to be confused with Virtual Reality. Virtual Reality (VR) creates a new reality within the confines of the digital world. Through the use of a tablet and/or an AR-enabled headset, a trainee’s field of vision can be overlaid with instructional data. A remote expert can talk to a trainee from anywhere in the world and explain how to run a repair or a maintenance check. This creates a notable bottom-line benefit for your business because you can:

• Decrease downtime through remote assistance. By allowing your most senior employees to deliver immersive training sessions to anyone in the world, you can ensure that repairs and maintenance work are done quickly and safely under expert supervision.
• Test new and current employees more effectively. Your manufacturing business relies on highly-competent employees. AR provides a unique opportunity to create practical and immersive industrial skills tests that surpass traditional pen-on-paper theory tests. AR allows you to test people on their practical ability, plant awareness, and spatial awareness, and not just on their theoretical knowledge. You can continue to check your employees' level of understanding of new machines and processes by testing them over time.
• Easily roll out new training material. As the manufacturing world changes, so does your work instruction software. AR-enabled work instruction software enables you to design new workflows and processes quickly and easily, without prior coding skills. A frontline employee can use AR to capture their role-based procedures and upload them to a library that any employee can access. This is more efficient and cost-effective than reprinting entire manuals or rewriting PowerPoint presentations.

Why is AR such an effective training tool? 

AR is an effective training tool that decreases the amount of cognitive load on an employee when they are training for a manufacturing job. When an employee reads a set of steps in a textbook, they must remember the order and content of those steps accurately. This places a strain on a recruit’s working attention and memory. By placing the information in front of them with AR, in the context that the instructions will be carried out, the trainee will be able to retain more information. AR also allows trainees to learn through physical repetition, which is more accurate than mental repetition because it draws on muscle memory. 

Maximizing workforce potential through AR training

Manufacturing companies across the globe are rethinking instruction software strategies. Learn how you can harness the potential of your workforce with augmented reality training software.