Innovation is a way of life in large industrial plants. SEAT/CUPRA have taken this approach and turned it into a method where the company opts for exploring technologies that can transform day-to-day tasks into more efficient processes. The result is Digital Mentor, a project developed in collaboration with Aritex that applies augmented reality (AR) to operator training processes and converts technical learning into a guided experience that is naturally integrated into the plant’s throughput.
To understand how a concept becomes a strategic tool, we talked to Guillem Pérez, a specialist in digitalisation at Aritex. He joined us as we discovered how SEAT/CUPRA decided to opt for augmented reality, how collaboration between teams was coordinated, the challenges of digitalising operators’ knowledge and the impact of the solution on real life at the plant.
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From an idea to practical use
The project started with a simple but meaningful question: What can Augmented Reality offer to a well-established process? Thinking about this question led SEAT/CUPRA to identify situations where AR could be applied and what need they might have for it in everyday work. Soon, a common challenge in all the assembly lines was found: every time an expert operator has to stop working to train a new employee, there is a sharp drop in productivity. AR showed itself to be an alternative that could transform this bottleneck into an autonomous and intuitive process for any newly hired operator.
But before taking these discoveries to the workshop, the digitalisation specialists at Aritex had to find a way to make operators’ know-how accessible to all, so that it could be used on a daily basis. However, they discovered that transforming what an experienced worker does almost instinctively into a set of instructions was no easy task. “Operators carry out complex jobs automatically and use their own language. They often combine several stages into one, and anyone joining them for the first time can find it difficult to follow if they don’t have a guide”, explained Guillem. For weeks, the team observed, recorded and broke down each movement: from brake hose assembly to indicator light installation, seeking a way to convert these skills into easy-to-follow instructions that could be integrated into the new digital system.
The solution
Digital Mentor emerged as the solution to the challenge. This tool guides a worker through a step-by-step process, superimposing visual information and instructions directly over the real environment. Unlike AR glasses, which sometimes isolate the user, tablets allow for more comfortable interaction and keep the operator connected to their environment and workplace.
With Digital Mentor, the experience of expert operators is turned into interactive content that anyone can follow. Each process is validated in real time, and learners can repeat it until they master it, without relying on the trainer. “According to the feedback we got from other clients in our projects, when an operator repeats a movement three times with AR, they interiorise it and can apply it directly on the production line. Conversely, with a traditional manual the stages are much more complicated and require more time”, explained Guillem.
The training areas of SEAT/CUPRA are still the place where new operators learn, but now the expert does not have to be present at every session. Trainees can practice whenever they need to, repeat the exercise as often as they want and do all this in a safe setting, without affecting production.
At the same time, Digital Mentor stores the knowledge that was once in the hands of a select few, ensuring that nothing is lost when someone changes their workstation or leaves the company. And while the operators learn, the experts can get on with other tasks without wasting time on repeating instructions.
What’s more, the solution offers autonomy to frontline workers by offering new tools that are easy to use and useful for their day-to-day work. It also helps to reduce errors and increases safety, by providing instructions that are easy for the operator to memorise. The flexibility of the solution enables it to be applied in different processes and production areas, which opens up the way to it being used in other plants and transforming the way in which the company works as a team.
Applications in different sectors
This experience shows that augmented reality can be scaled to other industrial settings with similar needs. Although each sector evolves at a different speed, they all share a common objective: digitalising to work better, with fewer mistakes and more standardised processes.
- Aeronautics: In a sector where every component is very expensive and quality standards are extremely stringent, augmented reality can be turned into a key partner for reducing errors and ensuring traceability. Particularly, it can be an extremely valuable option in assembly tasks, inspections and training new technicians.
“The product is very expensive, and so it makes a lot of sense to invest in technology that improves process quality and reduces any risk of human error. Augmented reality enables you to guarantee that every step is correctly completed and that the operator understands exactly what they have to do”. - Rail: An error in a sub-component when assembling a wagon can hold back the entire process. Augmented reality acts as a guide and final check, ensuring that each piece is where it should be. “This helps to ensure that processes are complied with and that knowledge is transferred to new employees”.
- Construction: Here the cultural change is more evident. Manual processes, working in the open air and traditional methods make standardisation more difficult. But the sector is starting to change. “The capacities of current technology are still way below the expectations in the construction sector. Culture shock is another major factor. The construction sector is starting to industrialise their processes, shifting from working in the open air to doing jobs inside plants, but it’s still a long way behind almost any other sector. But even so, it’s a larger sector than the aeronautics and the automotive sectors taken together, so there’s a lot of interest in making progress there”.
- Renewable energies: Augmented reality is now essential for work in remote locations. Operatives receive step-by-step instructions on smart glasses or tablets, without having to depend on constant connections. “When they reconnect, the information is synchronised. That way the processes are effectively carried out and quality standards are maintained”.
Pioneers in applied engineering and digitalisation
For Aritex, technological innovation only makes sense if it offers real value to industry. “For us, augmented reality is not an end in itself, it’s a tool for transforming industrial training and optimising high-value processes, especially in large OEMs that set out to achieve maximum efficiency in highly competitive environments“, explained Guillem. “To offer high-quality service to leading clients, we combine the extensive experience we have in engineering, automation and digitalisation, and integrate these new solutions so they can really boost production. Our mission is to contribute in such a way as to make these companies work more efficiently and be more competitive“, he concluded.
