An innovative technology developed by Wacker Neuson solves a major challenge for service teams: Machine maintenance without long journeys. In South Africa, this can be done quickly and easily from a distance with the help of digital smart glasses.
At a construction site in Kathu, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, a machine has broken down. The customer needs assistance and so asks their dealer to assess and repair the machine. The dealer might need the support of a technical expert during the fault diagnostics. Under normal circumstances, the expert would have to travel from Wacker Neuson’s main office in Johannesburg – a journey of several hours. This would entail travel time, equipment downtime and considerable expense for everyone involved.
Smart glasses mean that the Wacker Neuson technical expert can see through the eyes of the mechanic on site and support in real time as required.
Dennis VietzeGeschäftsführer Wacker Neusin Sub-Saharan Africa
Digital Service with Smart Glasses
Unless, of course, the customer has smart glasses from Wacker Neuson. This innovative digital technology means that service technicians can come to the rescue – without ever leaving their desk. The Wacker Neuson dealer in Kathu is equipped with augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. The expert in Johannesburg connects to the on-site technician’s smart glasses. “Smart glasses mean that the Wacker Neuson expert can see through the eyes of the mechanic on site and support in real time as required – from the comfort of their own desk,” explains Dennis Vietze, Managing Director Wacker Neuson Sub-Saharan Africa. The technician on the ground simply has to look at a problematic cylindrical coil, for example. The camera integrated in the smart glasses transmits this image in real time to the technical expert sitting in Johannesburg, who can then provide the required support and explain how to repair the part. The experts can even draw on the smart glasses screen and insert arrows to assist the repair process.
What may sound like a futuristic technology is already being successfully deployed in South Africa. Thanks to this AR solution, faulty machines can be returned to service more quickly and at significantly less expense.
Equipped with smart glasses, the Wacker Neuson technician repairs a machine with the digital support of a remote expert.
Bundling Know-How
The recording of service interventions using smart glasses brings a number of additional benefits. “The experts in Johannesburg and the service technicians on the ground have the option of recording repair interventions to create learning videos. So we can use these videos at a subsequent point in time for training purposes,” says Mr. Vietze. Particularly in the case of common service problems, other technicians can easily access this knowledge base and carry out repairs by themselves. The Managing Director is enthusiastic about the enormous potential of this digital technology. Smart glasses save time, costs and resources – to the benefit of OEMs, customers – and the environment. The use of AR glasses to support customer service is just one example of how the Wacker Neuson Group is bringing the potential of digitalization to life. All three brands are developing and regularly testing innovative new products and smart digital solutions to make daily workflows in construction and agriculture more efficient. The needs of customers always take center stage. To make sense, digital solutions must always create added value for them.
