Nine stories on how mixed reality and HoloLens 2 are transforming industrial operations
The 2020s have propelled the world into the future of work, but organizations are still trying to innovate to keep pace with the rapid rate of technological change. For frontline workers, who comprise the biggest portion of the global workforce with over 2.8 billion industry professionals, this pressure can feel more taxing given the demands of an always-on industry that leaves little time or resources to learn new technologies and ways of working. Yet despite these constraints, mixed reality has emerged as a key driver of change for frontline industries that are benefitting from heads-up, hands-free, immersive 3D overlays and visualizations that deliver numerous opportunities to drive value.
Take the manufacturing industry as an example. In The Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft HoloLens 2 With Mixed Reality Applications, Forrester examines the impact of HoloLens 2 and Microsoft’s leading Mixed Reality Applications on global manufacturing enterprises. The study vividly illustrates how deploying Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Dynamics 365 Guides on HoloLens 2 can transform manufacturing operations by accelerating issue resolution with more effective training and remote collaboration. The resulting cost savings and productivity gains realized by manufacturing firms are substantial. However, it’s important to note that these advantages are not exclusive to the industry.
Many other recent frontline stories help us understand how mixed reality solutions are making a difference in the Manufacturing, Energy, Mobility, Healthcare, and Consumer Goods verticals. In this blog, discover the range of use cases Microsoft customers have adopted to drive transformation.
Table of content:
- Enabling remote collaboration with Dynamics 365 Guides and Teams calling
- Using Dynamics 365 Guides to accelerate onboarding and upskilling
- Enhancing the precision of tasks with Dynamics 365 Guides
- Combining Microsoft mixed reality solutions with third-party platforms
- Explore more Microsoft mixed reality use cases
Enabling remote collaboration with Dynamics 365 Guides and Teams calling
Chevron expands HoloLens 2 use cases to make work more flexible for employees
As a lead innovator in the oil and natural gas industry and an integrated energy company, Chevron works tirelessly to enable reliable and incident-free operation because that’s when safety and productivity are at their highest. That’s what sparked Chevron’s initial interest in Microsoft HoloLens 1 in 2018. Early investments in Dynamics 365 Remote Assist gave their field workers the unprecedented opportunity to connect with remote experts in under a minute. This made it easier for them to collaborate with colleagues in different parts of the world to resolve issues faster and minimize production downtime.
Since then, Chevron has expanded its mixed reality use cases by adding HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Guides with Microsoft Teams Calling to make the workplace more inclusive. These solutions have made a significant difference in the lives of employees, starting with a dedicated Process Engineer who is now able to safely perform physical inspections from home during her third trimester of pregnancy. We invite you to dive into the story of Vanessa Fruge to understand how Chevron continues to innovate with Microsoft mixed reality solutions. At Chevron’s Pascagoula Plant, the team utilizes HoloLens 2 to promote a better work/life balance for field employees who can collaborate virtually from anywhere. Team members now have greater flexibility to work from home while staying connected to operations at the factory which they can see in real-time with their own eyes through Microsoft Teams. And possibilities are only getting more interesting as Chevron continues to innovate with Microsoft to bring conversational AI to its frontline workers through Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides.
Read more about Chevron’s experience working with HoloLens 1 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist.
CBRE transforms lab asset management with remote assistance
CBRE has perfected its ability to drive collaboration and onsite troubleshooting with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). They know how important it is to keep labs running efficiently. Lab equipment downtime can destroy valuable samples, delay research, and cost companies countless dollars spent on engineering site visits and new lab equipment. That’s why CBRE introduced HoloLens 2 devices to its service support program. HoloLens 2 devices empower onsite engineers to diagnose and troubleshoot independently, replacing equipment parts where necessary while referring to virtual manuals and step-by-step instructions to conduct complex procedures. Microsoft’s remote assistance services also enable technicians to quickly engage with offsite colleagues, making it easy to call in experts without requiring a site visit.
For one CBRE client, these changes delivered the following benefits:
- Onsite CBRE engineers reduced wasted hours, saving over 112 site visits and 18 months of downtime.
- Factories reduced overall carbon emissions by 403 kg for their clients thanks to the reduced expert travel.
- The company saved more than 7,000 consumables that would have otherwise been used in re-runs and secured more than 6 million samples, saving approximately $500,000.
Read and watch CBRE's First Line Support use cases with mixed reality.
Eaton uses Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality Apps (MR Apps) to drive savings
Eaton is dedicated to improving lives and the environment with power-management technologies that are efficient, safe, and sustainable. In the company’s pursuit of high-impact innovation, it kicked off a mixed reality global deployment using Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Dynamics 365 Guides on Microsoft HoloLens 2. Not only did Eaton meet its initial goals, but it also saw unexpected outcomes that impacted how it does business. When COVID-19 struck, Eaton doubled down on mixed reality use cases, deploying Dynamics 365 mixed reality apps to all 20-plus Vehicle Group sites to keep operations in motion. They are now able to accelerate task completion with Guides, enhance employee training and new hire onboarding with simulated experiences, and conduct remote audits and inspections anytime, anywhere. Speed to market is another advantageous benefit that the Group has realized by reducing production downtime and accelerating product development.
Read more about Eaton’s cost savings and efficiencies.
L’Oréal gives hybrid work a makeover with HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Teams
The cosmetics, fragrance, and haircare giant oversees 35 international brands and employs more than 85,000 people. Staying at the leading edge of beauty trends requires all of those individuals to share their unique perspectives and insights across time zones and business areas. That’s why L’Oréal has invested in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and HoloLens 2 devices to facilitate greater collaboration, communication, and co-creation among employees. The company uses HoloLens 2 with Teams specifically to remotely inspect packaging components and troubleshoot issues on the spot. This has helped the company reduce travel and carbon emissions, making it easier to meet sustainability goals.
Read more about L’Oréal’s success.
Using Dynamics 365 Guides to accelerate onboarding and upskilling
Sanofi uses the industrial metaverse to revolutionize training
Sanofi is a leader in the development and manufacturing of both prescription and over-the-counter medications. To meet the increased demand for Sanofi pharmaceuticals, the Paris-based organization needed to find a way to make its production lines more streamlined while training and onboarding more operators. Using HoloLens 2 with Dynamics 365 Guides and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, Sanofi reduced training time for new operators from eight to six weeks and accelerated the time it takes to resolve equipment-related issues with remote maintenance and troubleshooting. Thanks to a successful pilot project that introduced Microsoft mixed reality solutions to their operators in France, Sanofi is now looking to expand the number of devices and licenses across its value chain, with a specific emphasis on data analytics.
Read more about Sanofi’s successful pilot.
Enexis takes a leading role in the energy transition with Mixed Reality (MR)
To make sure that its current and future workforce is equipped for the needs of the future, Enexis has rolled out a training program centered around adopting mixed reality with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Guides. This training program was partly born out of a need to create a sustainable energy future that requires Enexis to expand its grid capacity within the next ten years to meet future energy demands. Before the company could facilitate this energy transition, it knew it needed to change how it worked by upskilling employees to optimize operations, increase efficiency, and reduce downtime. That’s where Microsoft’s mixed reality solutions made the most impact. The combination of HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Guides allows educators to create 3D training materials to support internal training, enhancing trainee learning retention with immersive content and engaging simulations while freeing up mentors’ time.
Learn more about Enexis’ story.
Toyota Motor North America uses Microsoft MR Apps to boost operational efficiency
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) has tens of thousands of team members producing more than a million vehicles each year in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Given this scale of operations, TMNA requires all team members across regions to undergo an extensive training program to learn how to assemble the latest vehicle models with precision and consistency. Traditionally, trainers worked one-on-one with team members to transfer highly complex skills. However, this led to bottlenecks whenever a wave of new team members joined a plant at the same time or if numerous team members needed to be trained on a new procedure or a new vehicle. To make training more efficient, repeatable, and effective, TMNA deployed Dynamics 365 Guides and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2. These investments now enable trainers to create, update, and deliver content to multiple trainees simultaneously. Plus, when real-time expert support is needed, team members can also quickly connect with a remote expert using Dynamics 365 Remote Assist.
Dive deeper into Toyota Motor North America (TMNA)’s story.
Enhancing the precision of tasks with Dynamics 365 Guides
Intel transforms chip production with HoloLens 2
The tech giant uses HoloLens 2 with Dynamics 365 Guides to conduct critical maintenance and repair tasks that ensure the factory is efficient, reliable, and always improving. Intel technicians are at the heart of everything the company does, overseeing the complex equipment involved in manufacturing the 14-nanometer microprocessor products that are arguably some of the most advanced products created by humans. These highly skilled employees use Microsoft mixed reality solutions to enhance the precision of their work, empowering onsite workers to resolve machine-related issues swiftly, communicate with experts remotely, troubleshoot internationally, and prepare interactive training materials that support onboarding and upskilling processes.
See HoloLens 2 in action at Intel.
Combining Microsoft mixed reality (MR) solutions with third-party platforms
Autoliv China transforms manufacturing processes with mixed reality and Digital Twins
Autoliv is a manufacturing company that sits at the forefront of innovation, providing safety solutions for mobility and society. As pioneers in mobile safety, the company saw an opportunity to reach unprecedented operational efficiencies using mixed reality and digital twin technology for the equal benefit of customers, suppliers, and employees. But to realize their goals, the company joined forces with DataMesh, a Microsoft Mixed Reality partner, to design a next-generation digital twin platform that extends the value of existing HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist investments. The resulting DataMesh solution, a zero-code mixed reality content creation app, works together with Microsoft mixed reality solutions to accelerate time to value and enhance remote collaboration for Autoliv employees.
Combining a third-party digital twin platform with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist helped Autoliv achieve greater operational efficiency while reducing resource consumption across R&D, procurement, production, and sales to achieve sustainable new solution development and training deployment.
- The Autoliv Nantong site augmented its training capability by more than five times, increasing the number of trainees during a specific training period with the help of MR equipment.
- The same site also reduced the need for in-person trainers and decreased physical training resources by 50%.
Dive deeper into Autoliv China’s transformation story.
Explore more Microsoft mixed reality use cases
Today, many frontline organizations feel their workers are not empowered or digitally well-equipped. Downtime and worker productivity remain nearly universal issues. That’s why Microsoft is investing in frontline worker enablement across a broad range of technologies including mixed reality. Dive deeper into the research and learn how you might utilize Microsoft Mixed Reality Applications, including Dynamics 365 Guides and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, on HoloLens 2 to transform operations and mitigate disruptions.
- Read in full The Total Economic Impact™ Of Microsoft HoloLens 2 With Mixed Reality Applications study.
- Watch the video to see how frontline workers use Dynamics 365 Guides and Remote Assist with Microsoft HoloLens 2.
- Read customer stories and explore mixed reality use cases for manufacturing as well as other use cases.
- Find Microsoft Mixed Reality Partners.
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Please note that the customers named in this blog post have not participated in The Total Economic Impact™ Microsoft HoloLens 2 With Mixed Reality Applications study published in 2023. As such, these companies may not share the same characteristics of the composite manufacturing organization that Forrester Group defines in the commissioned report. All featured benefits and ROI achieved by these customers using first-party and third-party mixed reality apps on HoloLens 2 are unique to that company and may vary for other organizations in similar industries.
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