Eyewear specialist Marcolin has incorporated augmented reality (AR) into its employee training and customer experience programme. An immersive virtual reality tour of its factories, which takes viewers behind the scenes to showcase the eyewear manufacturing process, is a key element of this digitalised experience.
The versatility of the tool allows customers and employees from all over the world to engage with Marcolin from the comfort of their own homes.
AR technology has also been integrated into the Marcolin Manufacturing Academy programme. The programme enables employees to explore the heart of the company’s creative and manufacturing departments using a virtual reality headset.
A live version of the experience, in which customers and partners can be accompanied by a company representative remotely, will be available soon.
Once worn, the headset offers an immersive experience of the Marcolin headquarters in Longarone, Italy. The technology – which is not based on virtual reproduction – features all-around video footage of real spaces to deliver an authentic experience.
The user can go through all the production spaces: from creative process to prototyping, followed by manufacturing and product distribution. The tour ends with a virtual visit to an optician’s store where viewers can examine the final products.
This experience is made more engaging by allowing users to interact with the three-dimensional objects present in different environments. Virtual visitors can look at pieces closely and ‘touch’ the eyewear to inspect the craftsmanship. Each environment offers users a chance to experience a special object, making it a personalised experience.
Marcolin Group Human Resources Director Sabrina Paulon said: “At Marcolin we have explored the potential of digital transformation and technology to improve the training of our employees and enhance their skills, which are the basis of our eyewear know-how.
“While it stared with an initial training purpose, it was natural to extend the application of the tool to customer experience. Our aim is to transfer knowledge about our identity and distinctiveness: from the creative process to the phases where craftsmanship and tradition are combined with technological innovation and manufacturing 4.0.” ✈
