Scope AR Has Become a Siemens Digital Industries Software Partner

(reprinted from BusinessWire)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Scope AR today announced that it has joined the Siemens Digital Industries Software Partner Program, enabling Siemens’ Teamcenter® customers to integrate directly with WorkLink, an enterprise-class augmented reality (AR) platform. Scope AR currently operates its WorkLink platform globally.

“We are ecstatic to offer this leading PLM technology integration to our current and future customers,” said Scott Montgomerie, Co-founder and CEO. “Streamlining the creation of AR experiences from PLM systems is an integral part of the digital thread. With the connection between Teamcenter and WorkLink, that vision is now a reality. We launched WorkLink Create to give the world the fastest AR authoring and publishing experience possible. That experience is now seamlessly connected to the world’s most widely used PLM system, and this integration unlocks limitless use cases for our shared customers.”  

From its founding, Scope AR has improved the way people work with technology that accelerates the sharing of specific knowledge. In 2010, Scope AR’s founders saw the power augmented reality had to make anyone an expert, regardless of how complex the task. To harness that power, they developed WorkLink, a platform that transforms the way enterprises manufacture, inspect, test and train their workforce through step-by-step 3D visual guidance. WorkLink enables higher workforce productivity with better training, less rework, and higher compliance. 

WorkLink has been proven transformational in hundreds of use cases and industries, and makes it easy for leading organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell and others to create and distribute powerful AR content in minutes across a wide array of devices. In addition to Siemens Digital Industries, Scope AR partners with technology leaders such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, ServiceMax, Unity, NTT Data and more.

The company is based in San Francisco with offices in Tel Aviv, Israel and Edmonton, Canada.

For more information on the partnership, including a video of the integration in practice, please visit https://www.scopear.com/partner-siemens/.

Contact: Robert COMBIER

Keeping People Connected during the Coronavirus Crisis

Keeping People Connected during the Coronavirus Crisis

In manufacturing, unplanned downtime can quickly translate to a cost of millions of dollars. Maintaining operational efficiency can be a challenge in even the most ideal of conditions, and in times of crisis, that efficiency can unravel. 

As Covid-19 continues to spread, we are beginning to see its impact across many industries. Travel is actively being discouraged, and in some instances around the globe, outright banned. For businesses that rely on travel for smooth operation, the challenges of Covid-19 continue to be felt. And as companies like Apple and Samsung can attest, the various challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak have had a tremendous impact on manufacturing facilities.  

We have been hearing from many of our customers about how they are no longer able to go on site to address operations with their factories in affected areas. One customer in particular, who is a giant in the food and beverage industry, has a factory in Vietnam and is now using the remote assistance functionality of Scope AR’s WorkLink platform to maintain vital operations and keep the factory running during this volatile time.

Augmented reality technologies can be a new communication platform for organizations to capture and scale their knowledge without the need for experts to travel.  Improvement in both software and hardware alike, have actually made this a reality. AR remote assistance provides the ability to instantly deliver essential knowledge beyond borders, connecting experts in other countries with workers on the factory floor.  Combine this with self-guided AR work instructions, and organizations with global presence can ensure that any worker will have best-practices right in their hands that are easy to follow, repeatable, and measurable.

Communication is Vital

The Covid-19 situation reminds us that in times of crisis we become even more dependent on technology to help us stay connected. We are seeing companies turn to AR and other collaboration tools to keep critical business operations moving forward. As we watch the situation unfold, I think we will see the need for more innovative ways to navigate the complex business challenges this outbreak is presenting.  Scope AR will continue to support organizations who are focusing on scaling their knowledge through digital transformation while removing geographic boundaries. 

The State of Augmented Reality Software and What’s to Come

The State of Augmented Reality Software and What’s to Come

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NewEquipment.com: Scott Montgomerie – February 28, 2020

The State of Augmented Reality Software and What’s to Come

A new wave is coming in terms of how enterprises create products as well as fix complicated machines, train their employees, and so much more. In this far-reaching article, Scott Montgomerie discusses the very latest developments in augmented reality software.

One of the key changes in the AR industry is the HoloLens2, manufactured by Microsoft. This device represents massive enhancements in terms of ease of use and visual impact. But perhaps the most important difference is that it’s designed for the enterprise. Whereas the video and entertainment industry has been the primary customers for AR and VR to date, the HoloLens 2 is targeted at software engineers and other use cases that uplevel the potential install base for this kind of technology. In addition, it will usher in a tremendous amount of new tools from big name companies (just check out the recent news from CES 2020 for proof of that).

As for the smaller players — the startups looking to create augmented reality software and other AR solutions — it’s pretty likely that history will repeat itself and we’ll see acquisitions and M&As as the playing field consolidates over time. The smaller fish will simply have to make the case that their technology can stand alongside the big players and Fortune 500 enterprises. It could happen, but it won’t be easy: the market is a multi-billion dollar one and only the best technology stands any chance of surviving.

One of the key ways to stand out is to create a hands-free augmented reality software device. When you have employees who work in manufacturing and have to fix complicated machines, hands-free may be the only way for workers to leverage AR efficiently. A lot of this has to do with the kind of augmented reality software device, how it’s powered, the details of its battery, its ability to ward off breaches, how it works on mobile, and many other factors. Hardware is less important in these instances than the actual content, and it’s important that big players find the right content partner who can ensure that software is updated frequently and ensure that enterprises can achieve ROI from their augmented reality software strategies.

Montgomerie goes on to touch upon a few more key areas in regards to AR considerations: non-immersive devices have their uses, and can generally last longer in terms of power, but have limited use cases. The HoloLens 2, in contrast, has a wider range of potential applications due to its ability to fully immerse the user in its environment, and therefore can help with tasks such as training, collaboration, manufacturing, and many other areas. He also addresses concerns about security.

Augmented Reality Software Poised to Make Significant Strides in 2020

The bottom line is that augmented reality software continues to gain traction in the enterprise, and employees from all kinds of industries will be able to take advantage of its unique benefits. As the user experience improves in terms of speed, power, and the ability to render images, a whole new generation of workers will have a powerful new way to perform their tasks.

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Big savings, quick ROI materialize for industry with the use of Augmented reality

Big savings, quick ROI materialize for industry with the use of Augmented reality

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SME Media: Karen Haywood Queen – January 30, 2020

Big Savings, Quick ROI materialize as a result of the augmented reality industry

Imagine using tools and content from the augmented reality industry and achieving savings of over a million dollars in just the first day. That’s the example given by Karen Haywood Queen in her comprehensive article for SME Media, in which she describes how ScopeAR, a company helping teams at Lockheed Martin build critical equipment for NASA spacecraft, prevented an engineer from placing the wrong module in a key location — an error that would have destroyed a million-dollar piece of sheet metal. That’s an incredible Return-on-Investment, and that was only the first day of the teams using AR!

Nor is Lockeed Martin alone. Airplane manufacturers around the world have also realized that they can speed up key tasks such as measuring holes in key components of the plane — moving from hundreds of identifications to literally thousands. This may seem trivial, but the reality is doing so can literally triple the amount of airplanes that a company can build — from one a month to three.

The main competitor to AR? Doing it the old way. Scope AR CEO Scott Montgomerie pointed out that organizations are sometimes just more comfortable doing things the way they’ve always done them, even if there’s clear evidence that the augmented reality industry can enhance business operations and drive growth. But when the technicians and engineering staff are seeing things clearly, the ROI provided by AR is as obvious as an image floating in front of your face.

AR has also proven to be easy enough to use that even less tech savvy people can use it — older generations and younger people alike. Therefore, engineers fully deployed on AR in less than 24 hours. People who started using technology from the augmented reality industry early on are definitely reaping the benefits: it’s easier to cut down mistakes because it’s so easy to visualize what actually needs to be done — you’re seeing it literally in front of you, rather than having read or remember complicated text. This is light years from the old world of trying to turn a two dimensional idea into a 3D reality: the ability to communicate and describe the finished object using actual space and dimensions is a game changer.

Incredible Savings for NASA  – and the augmented reality industry is only getting started

The article proceeds to describe several more use cases where the augmented reality industry has saved money and enhanced key projects, often supplanting VR with AR (“why not have the real object present, with the annotations and context needed to train the workforce?”) The point is also made that AR is much more immersive; rather than zoning out in the middle of a presentation, people stop checking phones and instead envision how they plan to use what they’re being taught in their day-to-day work.

And finally, the augmented reality industry has had a major impact on careers: people have chosen their next company based upon whether AR is supported, and some have even decided to postpone retirement because they are energized by this new tool in their professional arsenal! Clearly, the adoption of AR is only getting started, and will continue to have a major impact on enterprises worldwide.

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