Product

Greiner Packaging adopts Microsoft HoloLens technology

19/11/2020 | 2 min read

Roland Schulz

At first glance, they look like just a simple pair of safety goggles. But the technology behind MS HoloLens can do so much more. The wireless mixed reality headsets are helping us to virtually and instantly solve real business problems. Greiner Packaging’s international technicians are now also using MS HoloLens to provide virtual support all over the world, reducing not only our travel time and expenses but also our carbon footprint.

Smart technology saves time and money

The international technicians at Greiner Packaging will make increased use of MS HoloLens in the future. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, the benefits of this technology were evident. Our technical experts have been able to give employees at other locations direct and straightforward problem-solving assistance from wherever they are based without needing to be present on site.

Normally, our technicians spend a great deal of time traveling, whether by car or plane. But thanks to the use of MS HoloLens, it has been possible to reduce journeys to a minimum that would have been difficult in any case during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has meant we can do more to help protect the environment, which we view as a particularly important part of our sustainability strategy. And even when travel is back to normal, as well as our CO₂ emissions, we also can reduce our journeys and costs.

Roland Schulz, technology and process excellence director at Greiner Packaging

Virtual support from afar

Our approach to using MS HoloLens is highly pragmatic – the employee working on site puts on an MS HoloLens headset, with the technical expert watching on closely via Microsoft Teams. This way, the technician can provide specific directions, follow the steps of the process and hand movements live, or pull up operating instructions or wiring diagrams. Wherever faster expert support is needed, the MS HoloLens technology is the perfect service tool. Going forward, it will also be possible to use the headset for machine commissioning or maintenance, as well as to conduct virtual plant audits from an external location during the pandemic. The MS HoloLens technology opens up a whole host of additional opportunities, too – for instance, the headset could be used to interact with suppliers and customers in the future. Plus, another advantage is that HoloLens is extremely easy to use.