I’ve always enjoyed traveling to Austria, and this time I found myself in Linz, a city where tradition meets innovation in the heart of industrial Austria. I was there to meet with representatives from the JKU University of Linz for an open discussion on how our technology could be applied at both the university and one of its corporate partners.
What I found fascinating was the duality at play. On one side, there were motivated, hungry, and well-educated students — keen to master the complexities of the machines they were training to operate. On the other, there were seasoned professionals — experts with years of hands-on experience. These two groups, though they may see things differently, have the potential to create something truly remarkable when they come together.
This encounter sparked the idea for this blog post: We all see things differently, but our goal is to bring expert knowledge together with a novice and create one vision.
Think back to your own time in college or university. How often did you feel like you knew better than the person teaching you? Perhaps you even had moments when you did know something new or saw things from a fresh perspective. But the point isn’t about who knows more — it's about how combining fresh ideas with hard-earned expertise can lead to the best outcomes.
In the manufacturing industry, much of the critical knowledge resides in the minds of seasoned workers — people who have spent years, even decades, perfecting their craft. They know every machine by heart, can sense when something is off, and intuitively understand how to fix it. But what happens when these experts retire or move on? How do we capture their invaluable knowledge before it disappears?
This is where technology plays a crucial role. Using tools like eye-tracking, 3D scanning, or immersive learning platforms, we can document and store the expertise of seasoned professionals in real time. Imagine a worker troubleshooting a complex issue — by capturing their process step-by-step, we create a valuable legacy of knowledge that can be passed on effortlessly to future generations of workers. It’s like creating a living library of expertise.
For example, using eye-tracking technology, we can literally "see" what experts focus on during a task, documenting not only what they do but how they think. This captured knowledge then becomes a resource for training others, preserving skills that would otherwise be lost.
The challenge, however, isn’t just capturing the knowledge. It’s also about how we transfer that knowledge to the next generation of workers — novices who may not yet have the intuitive understanding that comes from years of experience.
Traditional methods like manuals, lectures, and on-the-job training have their place, but they often fall short when it comes to complex processes or nuanced problem-solving. This is where modern training tools like Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) come into play. These technologies offer immersive, interactive environments where new workers can learn by doing, guided by the expertise of seasoned professionals.
Imagine an expert’s approach to setting up a machine being transferred to a novice through an AR overlay. The novice follows along step-by-step, visually guided by the expert’s method, creating a seamless skill transfer. This reduces the learning curve, helping new workers become proficient faster.
However, while this approach works well in controlled educational environments, it faces challenges in real-world factory settings. AR/VR tools or smart glasses, like Apple Vision Pro, Microsoft HoloLens, or Magic Leap 2, are not always practical in environments where dirt, oil, and sharp objects are part of daily operations. The reality of these rugged industrial conditions makes such delicate, expensive devices vulnerable and less effective for on-the-floor training.
In these cases, more durable, tailored solutions are necessary — ones that blend the benefits of immersive learning with the harsh demands of the manufacturing environment.
This blend of traditional knowledge and modern tools ensures that the expert’s wisdom is not just preserved but made actionable for the next generation of workers.
The beauty of bringing together experts and novices lies in the creation of a single, cohesive vision. On one side, you have seasoned professionals who understand the nuances of their work — what can go wrong and how to fix it. On the other side, you have fresh minds, full of energy and eager to apply new ideas and approaches.
By uniting these perspectives, manufacturing companies can operate with greater precision and efficiency. Digital tools serve as a bridge, ensuring that both experts and novices are working from the same playbook. Real-time data, AI-driven insights, and collaborative platforms help everyone operate at the same level of expertise, no matter their experience.
In a manufacturing plant, this could look like teams with varying levels of experience using shared data and AI insights to make decisions with the same confidence and knowledge as a seasoned professional. It’s the idea of bringing different perspectives together to form one vision—where everyone is aligned and contributing to the overall success of the company.
In any industry, complex tasks can often lead to confusion or inefficiency when passed from one worker to another. That’s why it’s essential to simplify the process of knowledge transfer, ensuring that critical information doesn’t get lost along the way.
This is where the right tools can make all the difference. Whether it’s a VR training module that simulates complex scenarios or a real-time data dashboard that tracks performance, these tools break down intricate processes into manageable steps. For example, an eye-tracking analysis can identify the critical points of focus for an expert and translate that into a step-by-step guide for novices.
The result? Effortless onboarding and continuous learning for new employees, leading to smoother operations and higher productivity.
At the heart of this transformation is the idea that we all see things differently — and that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay; it’s essential. The future of manufacturing lies in the ability to bring expert knowledge together with fresh, novice perspectives to create a single vision that drives the company forward.
With the right tools, we can collect, document, and share knowledge across the organisation, ensuring that the expertise of seasoned professionals isn’t lost but becomes a cornerstone for future success. By embracing this approach, we create a culture of continuous learning and innovation, where every perspective contributes to operational excellence.
As one vision comes into focus, the path forward becomes clear.
"Individually, we see parts, but together, we see the whole picture."
Manufacturing companies today face a critical choice: continue relying on traditional methods or embrace the technologies that enable seamless knowledge transfer and collaboration between experts and novices. Which path will you choose? The future of your company could depend on it.
.png)
