Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology is being used to help service bakery packaging equipment and train operators, among other uses.

“We use AR in a variety of ways while supporting our customers, including resolving issues directly with our end users or connecting technicians with subject matter experts to provide faster, more cost-effective support,” said Daniel Bellingham, head of Mettler-Toledo service. product inspection. “We also use AR as part of our ongoing training efforts for our employees..”

JLS Automation relies on AR for remote support and recipe modifications.

“The technology allows us as an OEM to quickly diagnose a problem and interact in real time with the customer,” said Bill Stratford, JLS director of sales and after-sales service. “We can point out best practices to help them improve the overall operation of the machine and also point out potential problems that exist that they don’t recognize, or something that may cause a problem in the future.”

This technology is now also commonly used for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT). Virtual FATs were a rarity two years ago, said Dennis Gunnell, president of Formost Fuji.

“We had probably done one or two before COVID hit, but now it’s pretty regular,” he explained. “We’ve done the full gamut from setting up a tablet and using FaceTime to HoloLens. We had a customer send in their custom system that had a camera, headphones, everything.”

Although he stressed that face-to-face FATs are preferred, handling them digitally means more people can be involved. PMMI has developed guidelines to help its members navigate virtual FATs. And Jorge Izquierdo, PMMI’s vice president of market development, predicts that these tests may be handled differently in the future.

“In the future, companies may not do it entirely virtually,” he said. “Instead of sending five people to factory acceptance testing, maybe you send just two and then instead of the other three joining virtually, you have 10 more who can join.”

The other advantage that Mr. Izquierdo has seen is that these videos can be turned into training materials. Training is another way companies are taking advantage of these technologies. Not only can workers wear glasses to virtually train and troubleshoot, businesses use QR codes on equipment. They allow maintenance workers and other workers to scan the codes, which can lead them to setup and repair videos, walk them through repairs, provide parts lists, and more.

“My goal is that one day they can show up, scan the QR code and pick a part if they had to replace it. And once they choose that part, an email will be automatically generated and sent to Heat and Control to order that part and help the operator within minutes,” explained Chris Farver, director of controls and information, Heat and Control.

Mr. Gunnell predicted that we will see many more training applications for these technologies and sees many opportunities for internal training and recruitment.

“If I go to a job fair, I can have one of these people come to my booth, put on a pair of glasses and see what’s going on in my factory and walk around my plant,” he said.

Alain Lemieux, Product Group Leader, AMF Bakery Systems, said he sees many places where these technologies will benefit bakeries in the future, including “AI tools that automatically analyze daily production runs and identify pain points, help managers solve problems, train staff, and optimize overall capabilities.

While all of this technology is very promising, it creates challenges for businesses, especially those that have yet to adopt it.

“The main barriers we see are understanding the data, number 1. Cybersecurity would be number 2,” Izquierdo said.

He recommended that bakeries train their staff on these technologies and find a data partner that suits their needs, as they likely have a third party to help them process their data and identify potential issues and opportunities to streamline the process. He also said companies need to make sure they have a strong security system in place to protect information and have a point person on staff who understands the data and can turn the information into actions that benefit the business.

“That’s really the trick,” Izquierdo added. “How to look at all that information and go to the next level. It’s not about keeping your machines running, it’s about optimizing how they work.”

This article is an excerpt from the February 2022 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the full AR/VR/AI feature, click here.