CareAR – Enterprise AR/VR Support Augmented Reality Visual Support Mon, 04 Nov 2024 20:41:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 /wp-content/uploads/2022/09/favicon-150x150.png CareAR – Enterprise AR/VR Support 32 32 How a Leading North American Transport Company Used CareAR to Boost Efficiency  /trasnport-company-carear-use-case/ /trasnport-company-carear-use-case/#respond Thu, 31 Oct 2024 21:45:29 +0000 /?p=4033

How a Leading North American Transport Company Used CareAR to Boost Efficiency

A major North American integrated logistics and transport company implemented CareAR. This company operates one of the largest railroad systems in North America and is responsible for transporting coal equal to 25% of the U.S. power generation. Discover how they enhanced efficiency by adopting CareAR.

2022 CareAR Pilot Program Results (Used to Solve 20 Problems)

52%

Improvement in average repair time

100%

Problem resolution rate

72%

Increase in skills and knowledge of less experienced technicians

The Challenges They Faced

The U.S. logistics industry was struggling with high downtime costs* and a shortage of skilled technicians. This led to issues with locomotive testing and knowledge transfer. Global supply chain pressures and market conditions worsened the situation, increasing operating costs and decreasing profitability. As a result, they couldn’t deliver essential goods to markets, negatively impacting the regional economy. The U.S. Transportation Research Board (TRB) even called for stronger inspection measures and operational improvements across all freight carriers. Additionally, the lack of skilled on-site technicians with expertise in complex electrical systems was further complicating repairs and prolonging the average repair time.

The Solution

To tackle these issues, the company set two clear goals:

  1. Reduce average repair times to resume freight operations faster.
  2. Enable mid-level technicians to access expert-level knowledge and skills.

To achieve this, they adopted CareAR. CareAR empowered less experienced technicians to tap into expert-level knowledge, regardless of location. It also allowed the company to identify and address common locomotive issues, resulting in significant improvements in repair times.

The Impact of CareAR Implementation

Improved Repair Time

  • By using CareAR for diagnosing and solving problems, the company improved average repair times by 52%.
  • Less experienced technicians were able to handle more advanced issues with confidence.
Enhanced Diagnostic Capabilities
The problem-solving success rate for issues diagnosed with CareAR was 100%, compared to only 40% for issues handled without CareAR.
Remort Expert Support
Skilled technicians used CareAR to provide remote support, which led to a 72% increase in diagnostic and problem-solving capabilities for less experienced staff.
This case study shows how CareAR can empower logistics companies to overcome operational challenges, reduce downtime, and improve technician efficiency, even in the face of labor shortages and complex repairs.
]]> /trasnport-company-carear-use-case/feed/ 0 Xerox and CareAR – Reduced Data Center Downtime /xerox-reduced-data-center-downtime/ /xerox-reduced-data-center-downtime/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:08:49 +0000 /?p=3980

Xerox and CareAR
Reduced Data Center Downtime

Remote support enabled by the introduction of CareAR reduced Xerox data center downtime, reduced CO2 emissions, and improved efficiency.

Xerox’s data center in Halifax, UK, was deploying a new hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) and reducing racks. When a server malfunction occurred, it was very difficult for Xerox’s data center operations team based in London to understand the situation on the ground. In addition, since we were trying to solve problems by phone or email, once downtime occurred, it would affect the quality of the service we were providing, and it would be a negative in terms of profits.

London operations team deploying CareAR. In the event of downtime, engineers will be dispatched to a data center in Halifax, about three hours drive north of London, and will use CareAR Assist’s real-time video guidance feature to communicate via Google Glass and iPad.

 

Field engineers first use wearables to ‘show’ the front and back of problematic server racks to a team of experts in London. After confirming the lamps that indicate fan failure, the London team draws ‘arrows’ and ‘text annotations’ that indicate which fan has failed on the real-time video.

They then order replacement parts and provide visual instructions on how to remove the failed part and install the new part. After explaining to the engineer what parts needed to be removed, we shipped the parts to the site, replaced them, and successfully restarted the server.

CareAR Assist significantly reduced recovery time

Visual communication allowed the London side to see the status of the problem. Since the situation can be analyzed and evaluated on the spot even remotely, it is now easier to identify where the problem lies. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth more than a thousand words”, turning images into real-time video streams and adding arrows, signs and text annotations makes it obvious what to do and how to do it. Visual-based communication has made remote problem resolution easier and more practical, saving time and money. In addition, by reducing the frequency of business trips, we are able to reduce CO2 emissions, leading to the achievement of our sustainability goals.

]]> /xerox-reduced-data-center-downtime/feed/ 0 ANA Engine Technics and CareAR – Enhancing Efficiency and Quality in Aircraft Maintenance /ana-etc-ar-use-aircraft-maintainance/ /ana-etc-ar-use-aircraft-maintainance/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2024 02:39:18 +0000 /?p=3883

ANA Engine Technics and CareAR
– Enhancing Efficiency and Quality in Aircraft Maintenance

We recently helped our client ANA Engine Technics to implement CareAR.
Why did they choose this transformative product, and how did it help them?

ANA Engine Technics, part of the ANA Group, specializes in the overhaul and repair of jet engines for aircraft. Since its establishment in 2011, the company has been delivering high-quality maintenance services, managing everything from engine disassembly to assembly and ground performance testing. With world-class engineers, ANA Engine Technics is dedicated to ensuring safe and reliable flights.

Challenges Before CareAR

  • Frequent Travel

    We wanted to reduce the amount of travel between maintenance sites and offices, as well as to overseas locations

  • Limitations of Video Conferencing

    We found it hard to use conventional video call solutions for maintenance activities. These are simply not designed for showing specific parts of equipment and discussing areas that need attention or adjustments

  • Time to Recovery

    It took a long to time communicate with equipment manufacturers when an issue happened. This lengthened the time to recover.

How CareAR Helped

  • Efficiency Gains

    We were able to significantly reduce travel time between sites. Some tasks that previously needed an in-person presence can now be managed remotely.

  • Quality Improvement

    By using CareAR’s annotation and laser pointer tools we can have precise and easy communication of visual details. This improved the quality of maintenance work.

  • Faster Recovery

    The ability to collaborate in real-time sped up recovery times, reducing system downtime and enabling quicker recovery.

Tell us more about the challenges you faced

We have always worked hard to improve the quality of engine maintenance work. At the same time, we try to reduce the needed hours to be as efficient as we can be. However, it can be hard to meet both these goals at the same time.

Let’s consider an example. A mechanic working on a remote site discovers a problem during maintenance. The mechanic needs to show the problem to our staff at one of our main locations. In the past, this often required a visit to the site.

Aircraft engine maintenance requires a high level of skill and training. This means that certain problems often require help from a specialized mechanic. This also often required trips to the site, no matter how far away it was. And this had to be done on short notice, as many issues are urgent.

As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, our staff started to use remote communication tools. We continued to implement such tools and try to use them to support remote mechanics. However, the normal options for video conferencing were difficult to use in a maintenance situation. Our staff tried to use gestures and figure pointing to show the issues and discuss them. But this simply didn’t work as well as in-person discussions.

How did CareAR help you?

Since CBA has helped us to implement CareAR, in-house staff have been able to help mechanics without having to go to the site each time. They are also able to share the situation with a larger number of skilled mechanics. This has improved the quality of the work while also reducing hours.

Unlike traditional video calling tools, CareAR has an annotation and laser point function. These features have helped those in a call to show the specific part and issue, with complete clarity. In other words, they resolved the problems we had with traditional conferencing tools. We also found that these tools helped us improve the quality of the maintenance.

With CareAR, we have also been able to improve our response time. Many issues are urgent, and in the past, we often had to send specialized mechanics to provide support in person. This delayed the repair and often needed overseas travel.

With CareAR, we estimate that we save at least 400 hours of skilled labor per year.

What was the deciding factor for you in choosing CareAR?

We had already distributed iPads to each employee, and it was common for them to use these in their work. When CBA showed us that CareAR Assist could be installed on our existing iPads, we saw that rollout and training would not be difficult. The fact that “everyone can immediately use CareAR on their iPads” and “CareAR expands the use of iPads” were major points to us.

What features of CareAR do you find are easy to use?

We really appreciate the annotation features, as well as the laser pointer function. Even if the camera moves, the annotation stays fixed on its location.

The design of the app is simple and easy to use as well. Even first-time users can use it intuitively, without extensive training. Even our veteran engineers regard it highly.

Unlike conventional video conferencing tools, CareAR is focused on fieldwork. We appreciate how well it has worked as a purpose-built tool for this situation. For example, as soon as a session is started, CareAR shows the scene from the external camera, rather than the from the selfie camera. This saves a click each time. Similarly, for those connecting remotely, they at once see the view of the equipment instead of the person. These may seem like small things, but they are very important in field operations where speed is vital.

Please tell us what you find convenient about CareAR

We like the fact that it is possible to join a session with just the web browser, if needed. This makes it convenient for those who do not yet have the app installed to join.

The ability to include an unlimited number of users is also helpful. We often have many departments involved in airplane engine maintenance. For example, flight operations, production control, technical personnel, and field technicians often all must meet at the same time. CareAR makes it easy to bring all these together just by sharing the URL of the meeting with a key person in each department, who can forward it to others.

Can CareAR help in an emergency?

Yes. When a malfunction happens with an engine, it can help us to recover quickly.

In the past, if a problem happened with a testing device or repair tool, a mechanic first tried to fix an issue. While the equipment manual was helpful in doing so, it was often not enough. This meant contacting the manufacturer and waiting for them to help. During this time, work that required that tool or testing device was stopped. This affected the maintenance schedule.

With CareAR, however, the mechanic can at once show the problem to the manufacturer. They can troubleshoot together, leading to quick repairs and reduced downtime. This also reduces the number of times specialist personnel must come to a site to repair equipment.

Do you have a recent example of such an early recovery?

We had a large piece of equipment used for machining breakdown. It was several meters long. Our mechanics were able to use CareAR to contact the manufacturer in Europe.

We used CareAR to connect staff from the equipment manufacturer in Europe, our Japan office, and at the site of the issue. By using CareAR, all involved could clearly see the equipment with the problem. Our on-site staff were even able to put the camera inside the machine to show how it worked. Then they could act according to the engineer’s instructions in testing how the machine moved. Through this real-time collaboration, we were able to find and solve the issue quickly. The equipment manufacturer also spoke highly of CareAR, commenting that “it’s very good to be able to see it together.”

When meeting with multiple locations, spread across time zones, it is difficult to schedule a time that works for all. However, with CareAR we can share and resolve the situation in a single meeting. This eliminated the need to find a good time for a follow-up meeting. We also saw that the use of visual annotations helped with the language barrier.

What are your future plans for CareAR?

We will continue to use CareAR as we have been, as well as look for more areas to expand its use. The benefits of this tool are clear even in early use, so we expect this will continue.

At this time, we want to share our appreciation of CBA and your partner CareAR for your help in this implementation. We look forward to future collaboration together.

]]> /ana-etc-ar-use-aircraft-maintainance/feed/ 0 CareAR receives best in class AR Enabling Technology Leardership Award 2023 /enabling-technology-leadership-award/ Thu, 09 Feb 2023 01:23:01 +0000 /?p=3602

CareAR Receives the 2023 Enabling Technology Leadership Award

Frost & Sullivan noted that CareAR provides easy-to-use solutions that improve field service, contact center technical support, and IT service management (ITSM) for employees (agents, IT, and field support) and customers. The positive impact on employee and customer experiences resulting from augmented reality interactions defines the CareAR SXM framework that elevates service engagement to a new level.

“CareAR is the first to offer (as a service) a packaged AR self-guide that includes a product tour, troubleshooting guide, and maintenance procedures to create custom content for a business’s field service."
Nancy Jamison
Senior Industry Director, Information and Communications Technologies, Frost & Sullivan

“CareAR transforms the service experience with our SXM platform that reduces costs, increases efficiencies and delivers transformational customer outcomes,” said Steve Chirokas, CareAR Director, Product Marketing. “CareAR is pleased to be awarded as the leader for AR field services in North America by Frost & Sullivan, validating our unique platform capabilities and benefits.” Lean more about CareAR

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan applies a rigorous analytical process to evaluate multiple nominees for each award category before determining the final award recipient. The process involves a detailed evaluation of best practices criteria for each nominated company. Read the Frost & Sullivan report
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