Harpak-ULMA announced that the company is extending its platform capabilities to support Augmented Reality on its Rockwell Automation-enabled packaging solutions. The company has entered Beta-phase testing and is targeting commercial availability for its Augmented Reality (AR) option next year. AR represents a leap forward for staff knowledge transfer — employing digital visual overlays through a combination of both handheld and hands-free devices. It supersedes traditional approaches to operator training and maintenance of industrial assets. AR presents a powerful solution for producers seeking to alleviate the well-known upskilling issues associated with high labor turnover, productivity, and error proofing. According to a study by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, by 2025, almost 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will become available, of which 2 million will remain unfilled. AR can help producers bridge the skills gap at the root of this major disconnect. By 2025, three out of every four workers will be millennials who will be driving new workplace expectations. The Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership reveals that millennials’ innovation and exploration traits are best enhanced through active learning.
While AR has not yet been widely employed in packaging markets, other industrial experiences indicate that real-time “active-learning” dramatically accelerates front-line staff learning curves and reduces error. For example, Boeing workers completed intricate wire harnesses assemblies using AR-based work instructions, cutting assembly time by 25%, and reducing error rates to nearly zero. Staff with little or no formal training can be rapidly up-skilled to perform non-repetitive complex activities — the kind of work inherent in many unfilled manufacturing positions today. When a machine malfunctions or a tool change is required, AR guides the operator or maintenance worker visually step by step through task execution.