How Mixed Reality can Transform the Three Pillars of Sustainability
Sustainability isn’t what it used to be. Now a key driver of business innovation, the term has broadened over time to cover three intertwined categories: social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability.
But as the world pivots to an era of global sustainability action, how can manufacturers ensure that each of the three pillars are given equal weight? Traditionally, many organisations felt that they had to sacrifice the others to focus on one – meaning that social and environmental sustainability would fall by the wayside in favour of economic matters, for example.
No longer. Rapid advancements in mixed reality technologies have brought forward a new wave of interconnected sustainable development. With the right remote access tools, manufacturers can ensure that the three pillars of sustainability complement and reinforce each other, so that far-reaching progress is made on the environmental, business, and human side of the equation.
Harmonising to drive efficiencies
Mixed reality is that sweet spot where physical reality and digital content combine to facilitate seamless communication between both real-world and virtual objects. When it comes to the efficient maintenance of machinery, the benefits of mixed reality tools are clear. From secure video and audio calling to photo capture and 3D holographic technology, mixed reality capabilities remove the need for subject matter experts to travel and reduces production downtime, hugely benefiting the bottom line.
The rise of mixed reality could not have come at a better moment for the manufacturing industry. Pressure is mounting across economic, social, and environmental lines. Unplanned downtime is costing the UK industry more than £180 billion every year and resulting in 3% of all working days being lost annually. The skills gap is raging, with less than half of new engineering recruits having either the necessary technical or soft skills needed to be happy and productive at work. All the while, the UK Government is setting stringent targets to achieve carbon net zero and minimise the impacts of climate change. There’s a clear need for broad, systemic changes in how the manufacturing sector connects, collaborates, and solves an expansive range of challenges.
Technology provides the answer. With mixed reality, a factory floor technician can work just as effectively as a senior engineer, driving forwards an organisation’s wider sustainability initiatives without compromising on efficiency.
A smarter, more sustainable future
Mixed reality brings the three pillars of sustainability together. For example, minimising the need for senior engineers to travel to each customer site saves precious time during the working day. This ultimately helps businesses reduce production downtime and enhance performance and wellbeing across the value chain. In turn, less production downtime ensures a positive impact on the environment, as a direct change is made on the consumption of energy, metals and minerals.
As awareness of mixed reality technology grows, more and more businesses across manufacturing are set to reap the benefits. These transformational tools will help to ensure an equal focus on the three pillars of sustainability and how they can support each other in the years to come.