MindSpring partnered with a leading global manufacturing organization specializing in cutting-edge paper converting equipment for napkins, paper towels, and more. Ensuring well-trained operators was crucial to tackle the challenge of maintaining and troubleshooting the specialized machinery. Without skilled operators, productivity and revenue suffered. The manufacturer’s typical solution involved sending staff with paper manuals for on-site training, a costly and inefficient process due to travel and time. They approached MindSpring with a challenge: to create an augmented reality (AR) training experience that captures expert knowledge, making it repeatable and valuable for customers compared to traditional methods.

To meet the challenge, MindSpring worked closely with subject matter experts (SMEs) from the company to record and document the best training from the most experienced trainers. Filtered through the best practices in learning science, MindSpring’s instructional designers mapped a training plan that moved seamlessly from mixed reality pre-training to a full step-by-step simulation that locked directly onto the machine. To achieve this, MindSpring:

• Leveraged wearable augmented reality technology allowing operators to practice using a digital twin of the machine
• Designed an interactive, engaging, and safe virtual environment to train in before working with real machinery
• Provided operators with an immersive and effective learning path

MindSpring’s interactive AR experience enabled the manufacturing company to implement a more efficient and effective training program— for both themselves and their customers. By replacing on-site training with a headset, loaded with training and troubleshooting guides, the company and its clients were able to:

• Save costs associated with travel, training, and machine downtime
• Ensured that maintenance was done properly and documented through training that was repeatable and scalable
• Turn troubleshooting into a systematic digital checklist developed by the people who designed the machine
• Reduce guesswork, increase efficiency, and move everyone more rapidly toward realizing a return on their investment (ROI)

A global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier for major auto manufacturers faced a challenge: they had a limited number of trained employees available to set up and service machines at their customers’ locations. Finding and retaining talent was a common problem in manufacturing, but this company was growing and acutely felt the strain. MindSpring not only needed to improve efficiency within the maintenance and service support department but also needed to standardize third-party training for customers, expedite service-call resolutions, and democratize access to institutional knowledge. The right information needed to be in the right place at the right time. Furthermore, workers needed to have their hands free to perform tasks in an environment that could, at times, be quite noisy.

MindSpring created, captured, and curated a series of firstperson Point-of-View (POV) videos of subject matter experts (SMEs) performing critical processes. Once the footage was captured, MindSpring’s editors layered on narration, visual cues, and engaging graphics to provide a comprehensive step-by-step program that:

• Removed guesswork for the operator and ensured proper processes and procedures were followed and repeated
• Leveraged heads-up display and hands-free Augmented Reality (AR)
• Made training and information available at the point-of-problem
• Could be deployed on a tablet when needed, accommodating workers with accessibility considerations
• Worked across multiple devices such as a tablet or HoloLens

By implementing this solution, the auto part OEM supplier was able to:

• Save hours of setup, inspection, and maintenance
• Have less experienced technicians begin to perform more extensive procedures with less of a need to call in their training mentor
• Resell their training to customers as a valued addon deliverable—turning a cost into a profit model for the company