Thermo Fisher Bets on Augmented and Virtual Reality

On Aug. 19, 2019, Thermo Fisher Scientific dedicated its new employee training center in Greenville NC. The center features virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) capabilities, which simulate real-world equipment and the plant floor environment, bringing trainees closer to the experience of running the equipment than they would be in many traditional training programs. The company expects use of VR and AR to cut training time by 50%, according to a press release issued on August 13, 2019.

Training for work on a sterile injectable manufacturing line typically requires more than one year, but with VR and AR, Thermo Fisher’s managers say, employees can gain the necessary skills in roughly four months and better retain more of what they learn during training. Especially important is the fact that VR and AR give trainees the ability to “walk through” the steps needed to perform their jobs before beginning real work on the manufacturing line.

The Greenville Training Center will feature five VR rooms and will allow 20 people to be trained at a time.

Thermo Fisher Scientific plans to add more VR and AR training modules in the future that will be focused on pre-filled syringes, continuous manufacturing, and other topics.

Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific