In the video below, Excel Digital’s CEO, Mark O’Grady, gives a brief explanation on how Canon’s New Zealand based engineers, wearing augmented reality goggles, were able to successfully install and commission our new printing press, with their colleagues in Australia guiding them. As Mark explains in the video, not only did the engineers have to learn a whole new way to install a press, they also had to overcome sea-sickness along the way!
The impact of Covid-19 on the installation of our new press
When Excel Digital took delivery of the Canon varioPRINT iX production press in December 2021 we were faced with a problem – how to install the new machine and make it operational.
The delivery of the press went as clockwork. It arrived all crated up from Europe, ready to be installed and commissioned by Canon engineers, who were scheduled to travel from Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia. However, the discovery of Covid-19 Omicron in New Zealand and the subsequent closure of our borders brought the installation plans to a screeching halt.
No one could say with any certainty when our borders would re-open. Furthermore, although highly skilled, Canon engineers in New Zealand were not trained in installing the iX production press. Not to be defeated, Canon came up with a solution, have the New Zealand engineers install the new press under the watchful eye of the Australian engineers.
Augmented reality to the rescue
For the operation to be successful the Australians would need to have a clear picture of everything the Kiwis were doing in real time. Furthermore, they would need to be able to relay back complex and concise instructions. The answer, augmented reality goggles.
Watch the video below for a brief explanation on how the installation was successfully completed.
