TOMRA Visual Assist is TOMRA Food's new Augmented Reality tool that enables remote experts to provide specialist support to a customer or a TOMRA Field Service Engineer on-site – just as if they were standing in front of the machine. It enables TOMRA to solve a broader range of problems of varying degrees of complexity remotely. The result is more uptime and better machine performance for the customers. It also reduces the need for in-person visits. This advantage is particularly valuable in addressing the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring food safety in this situation.
“Fast response time is critical for our customers, who deal mostly in perishable goods,” explains Andreas Reddemann, VP and Head of Global Service at TOMRA Food, Aftermarket & Service. “Machine downtime for them may result in a deterioration in the quality of their product. During the harvesting season, they receive a constant flow of material and have to process high volumes, so uptime is vital. That’s why, at TOMRA Food, we have an ongoing focus on responding as fast as possible and in a way that is practical for them. When you have such a diverse geographic spread of customers as we have, it is not always possible to have the right Field Service Engineer immediately on site. TOMRA Visual Assist addresses this gap between being advised of an issue and being able to be there to support physically.”