On October 26, 2020, Honeywell announced an advanced industrial training solution that collaborates with 3D immersive technology. The technology offers industry-leading operator training simulation to create a collaborative learning environment for technicians and plant operators. This tool is a virtual reality (VR) and mixed-reality based training tool that incorporates a digital twin of a physical plant to render the required skill-based training to the workers.
“Faced with increasingly complex technology and an experienced workforce nearing retirement, operators need robust technical training and development solutions that accurately depict real-world environments,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, Vice President and General Manager, Lifecycle Solutions and Services, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Traditional training approaches often fail to meet the mark when it comes to helping panel and field operators and maintenance technicians in process plants become better at their jobs. The result can be reliability issues and increased operational incidents.”
This tool or immersive field simulator brings a smooth, virtual walkthrough which intends to familiarize workers with the plant. The virtual walkthrough includes avatars that represent virtual team members. The stimulator’s cloud-hosted device-agnostic platform incorporates flexible 3D models and grows with the user as plant operations change. The good thing about the simulator is the ability to customize for every team and unique project requirements.
Honeywell’s Immersive Field Simulator provides training for the digital-native workforce; it allows employees to learn while doing it and reducing situations that can result in operational downtime and ultimately improving competencies in multiple areas.
“With our end-to-end solution, console and field operators can practice different operating and safety scenarios, including rare but critical situations, in a safe, simulated environment,” said Maheshwari. “This approach significantly improves upon current training tools and methods. VR-based training boosts confidence and retention while improving overall professional skills. Experience shows that students using VR can learn significantly faster than in the classroom.”
Honeywell’s Competency Management Program has a simulator training section, which is created based on the worker’s experience using control and safety systems. The training will ultimately incorporate state-of-the-art competency-based offerings, which will improve safety and worker performance.
