Michael Terrell was playing an augmented reality (AR) video game with his son when he got an idea.
“I started thinking, ‘Surely we can use this technology in our bottling plants’,” said Terrell, director of operational excellence for
Unlike virtual reality (VR), which replaces the real world with computer-simulated environments, AR overlays data on top of the real world via software-enabled smartglasses. Terrell, who is responsible for using emerging technologies to reduce costs, improve quality control and drive efficiencies throughout the
Coca-Cola is partnering with Pristine, an Austin, Texas-based tech startup, to test AR in a handful of bottling facilities – from Tennessee to the Philippines – for equipment inspections, service calls and routine audits. A technician wearing AR glasses can stream, in real time, what they see and hear to a subject matter expert watching on a computer screen from anywhere in the world.
'This is a potential game-changer. We’ve only scratched the surface of how this technology can be used.'
Together, they can forecast or address issues, capturing and logging photos, videos and voice-dictated notes on the fly. The on-site tech can see checklists, forms and step-by-step guidance in his or her field of vision.
“We’re a very hands-on team,” Terrell said. “We wish we could be at every facility every day… and now we can, virtually.”
AR technology is significantly reducing the company's travel costs, too.
Terrell, who says he gets calls each week from plants around the world who are interested in AR, sees “endless possibilities" for the technology across the
“This is a potential game-changer,” he concluded. “We’ve only scratched the surface of how this technology can be used.”
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