Enterprise Talk: Debjani Chaudhury – September 6, 2019

What is the biggest roadblock for AR adoption across industries?

The most common challenge we see enterprises face is choosing the right use case. The best way to get started with AR in the workplace is to start small. Build a practical AR project that shows real results. For example, you cannot get started by promising to overhaul your company’s end-to-end manufacturing process. Enterprises should identify one part of a process or procedure where AR can make a clear difference in terms of efficiency, quality, error reduction, and build time.

Another roadblock we see enterprise organizations struggling with is around the need to future-proof their investment in what is still an emerging technology. Executives signing off on the purchase of AR tools want to know their budget is being spent wisely and that the technology being deployed today will not be obsolete in just a few short years. Most enterprises today are looking for a cost-effective way to integrate AR into their workflow, which often means solutions that pair with existing AR-capable hardware like smartphones and tablets. After all, the cost of acquiring high-end mixed reality displays today can be prohibitive for even one unit, let alone the dozens or possibly hundreds that an enterprise may need across their workforce. No matter what AR solutions a specific business chooses, it is important to balance current needs alongside the unknowable needs of the future so that programs are scalable and that the AR content being created today – think digital work instructions or AR-enabled recorded training sessions – can still be leveraged on the devices of tomorrow.

Your company has clients across different industries and segments. Which industries hold the maximum AR adoption potential according to you?

We have seen some impressive applications in the field service, industrial manufacturing and aerospace industries, which is where we are focusing a lot of our energy.  For instance, Lockheed Martin is using AR in their Space division to aid in the manufacturing of spacecraft, including NASA’s Orion. With the use of AR work instructions, they have achieved a 95+-percentage reduction in the time it takes to interpret work instructions, as well as an 85% reduction in overall training time.

Commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer, Prince Castle, is using AR-enabled live, video support tools to reduce equipment downtime in the field and improve the accuracy with which needed equipment repairs are diagnosed. Leveraging AR, remote experts can provide real-time support to workers in the kitchens of Prince Castle’s many fast-food chain customers. This has led to a 100% success rate of diagnosing support problems the first-time, eliminated service trips by 50% and reduced labor spend between 50-85%.

How has Augmented Reality transformed the B2B market?

Augmented reality has the potential to transform how an entire company works and shares knowledge. The use of AR can lead to better comprehension and communication of work instructions, decreased error rates, increased employee safety, improved worker efficiency and accuracy, as well as reduced travel and maintenance costs and decreased equipment downtime.

While more and more B2B enterprise use cases emerge, AR is becoming a ‘must-have’ technology that is driving value to enterprises today. It is no longer suitable to sit back and wait – organizations who don’t evaluate how AR can be used across many real-world business applications risk falling behind.

“Enterprises should identify one part of a process or procedure where AR can make a clear difference in terms of efficiency, quality, error reduction, and build time.”

Scott Montgomerie, CEO, and Co-founder of Scope AR

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