TOMRA Visual Assist virtually places TOMRA’s experts in front of the customer’s machine, enabling a fast response and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, overcoming travel restrictions and addressing safety concerns.
The new augmented reality tool enables remote experts to provide specialist support to a customer or a TOMRA Field Service Engineer on-site – just as if they were standing in front of the machine. It enables TOMRA to solve a broader range of problems of varying degrees of complexity remotely. The result, according to the company, is more uptime and better machine performance for the customers. It also reduces the need for in-person visits. This advantage is particularly valuable in addressing the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring food safety in this situation.
“Fast response time is critical for our customers, who deal mostly in perishable goods,” explains Andreas Reddemann, VP and head of global service at TOMRA Food, Aftermarket & Service. “Machine downtime for them may result in a deterioration in the quality of their product. During the harvesting season, they receive a constant flow of material and have to process high volumes, so uptime is vital. That’s why, at TOMRA Food, we have an ongoing focus on responding as fast as possible and in a way that is practical for them. When you have such a diverse geographic spread of customers as we have, it is not always possible to have the right Field Service Engineer immediately on site. TOMRA Visual Assist addresses this gap between being advised of an issue and being able to be there to support physically.”
As stated in a press release, TOMRA Visual Assist is very easy to use and requires no equipment other than a mobile phone with a camera. When the customer requests support through a message, email, or phone call, the TOMRA Field Service Engineer sends an invitation to initiate the session. When the app opens, it seamlessly links through to a call with the TOMRA expert best suited to help them with the specific challenge they are facing. When connected, they communicate through voice and video.
The Field Service Engineer can direct the customer to point the camera of their mobile phone to show what they need to see. With TOMRA Visual Assist, they can also share with the customer documents and annotate images to explain and clarify directions. The technology also enables the use of advanced tools such as Smart Glasses, which provide an Augmented Reality remote intervention that leaves the customer technician or Field Service Engineer on-site with their hands free to operate with maximum safety.
