Automotive supply chain firm Vantec Europe has invested in 3D immersive tech to train its workforce.
The supplier to Nissan, which operates 10 sites in the North East and another two nationally, has installed two 3D suites at its Washington Hillthorn site, including a forklift truck simulator, and one at its Turbine Business Park site, as well as at other locations. Now, the firm's global parent company has taken an interest in the move and has invested in pop-up 3D immersive suites in Japan, while it is also looking at similar in American and Mexico.
The idea was sparked by a visit to Sunderland University’s Living Lab in 2017 where Vantec managing director Martin Kendall was introduced to virtual reality tech and realised its potential for the firm, which is among the North East's largest companies.
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He said: "Digitalisation is the next stage of the industrial revolution. We realised a few years ago that you have to be on that journey otherwise you’re going to be left behind, so we restructured the business to have a specific engineering and digital transformation department, including employing our own programmers and 3D artists.
"We have created all the software and systems that are needed for immersive training ourselves, in house, and our bespoke systems drive many parts of the business to ensure we’re using big data effectively to make us as efficient as possible. The great thing about doing it in house is that the team creating these systems are embedded in our business, they understand what our needs are and can turn things around quickly."
Mr Kendall also said all of Vantec's systems and processes used in real life are built into the immersive training, meaning staff are familiar with the environment when they start on the shop floor.
Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "Vantec is an excellent example of a forward-thinking, innovative business and it’s great to have them in the city. They are helping to drive further investment and opportunities in Sunderland, building on everything they have done to date, and I look forward to seeing how the company continues to grow in the future."
Vantec is also involved in the Project V-Cal scheme to research and development the viability of driverless HGVs. Together with project partners, the firm will operate four zero-emission autonomous HGVs between its base and Nissan’s Sunderland site, on private roads where the vehicles will navigate traffic lights, roundabouts, and other road users.
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