Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) concluded a successful pilot test using Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality technology to foster virtual collaboration with dealers and customers.
“The global pandemic has had an impact on every facet of the industry, causing businesses across all sectors to re-evaluate how they interact with their customers,” stated Lutz Beck, Chief Information Officer at DTNA.
“One of the key questions that DTNA asked itself last year is how can we transform the future of service with technology to better collaborate with our dealer partners and customers. We believe that HoloLens is one of the ways in which we answer this question,” he added.
DTNA used a combination of Microsoft technologies including the HoloLens 2 platform, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, and Teams to enable collaboration between service technicians and DTNA subject matter experts across the organization. They were able to project service manuals, schematics, and other documentation across their field of vision while troubleshooting vehicle repairs.
The HoloLens 2 was launched in 2019 and it runs on the Windows Mixed Reality operating system. Daimler’s passenger car business has already shown positive signs with this technology through successful pilots across dealerships in Germany and the United States.
“This is one of the many solutions we are exploring to address the growing concerns of technician training and availability, with the added benefit of allowing for better social distancing,” said Stefan Kurschner, Senior Vice President of Aftermarket at DTNA.
“The HoloLens technology could be a game-changer for driving 24-hour or less repair turnaround, reducing the training time for technicians, as well as time spent in the service bay focused on vehicle repair and throughput.”
The company will conduct more trials to evaluate if the HoloLens platform can be fully adapted to DTNA’s aftermarket needs. The timeline on these future trials or the technology’s deployment to the dealer partners is unknown as of yet.
Follow us on LinkedIn
Read other Articles
