Case Study
XR Global ServicesCase Study
01. Marathon Oil Company
In the US, the distribution of refined fuel is handled by fleets of tractor trailers. The tankers fill up at 1300 terminals nationwide and then drive to 150,000 service stations. The gasoline is blended with special additives—the mix of which is dependent on the client, location and other regulations.
This seemingly simple procedure is really quite critical. Each tanker holds $35,000 worth of fuel that is useless if the chemicals are incorrect. The terminals average about 400 refuelings a day—at 45 minutes each—so the impact is severe if an error, accident or environmental impact event occurs.
Marathon Oil Company engaged XR Global Services to develop VR training programs for drivers to safely and quickly load the tankers
XR Global developed a comprehensive solution to teach workers the correct skills and safety procedures for mixing chemicals and loading fuel into trucks for transport. XR Global’s Rack Load Scenario makes the process safer for employees, facilitates faster and more efficient fueling and mitigates environmental impact– all while reducing costs and waste.
XR Global delivered a high-quality VR experience that takes workers through all of the refueling steps with special emphasis on safety procedures. Different scenarios explore the correct responses to explosions, fuel leaks, vapor capture as well as mixing correct additives for each type of fuel. Importantly, workers’ actions in the scenario are recorded, aggregated and evaluated to improve the process.
XR Global’s VR training reduced fueling time and increased throughput with no accidents to date. Insights from VR data resulted in the modification of a control panel—an unexpected benefit. Marathon executives are extending the successful VR training across the company.
Case Study
02. Port Miami
Port of Miami is a major US seaport located in Biscayne Bay, FL. The Port covers 520 acres, handles 9.6 tons of cargo annually, and services more passengers than any other port in the world. Maintaining security at such an immense, important and strategic location is a huge challenge. Executives at the Port of Miami asked XR Global to develop a solution that demonstrates how virtual reality and remote collaboration can support ongoing surveillance and safety measures and train staff to effectively cover more ground.
XR Global scoped the project to deliver a range of experiences focused on immersive and linear training, scenario planning and rehearsal, and real time collaboration and communication.
The team developed a virtual environment of the entire Port based on 3D geographical maps overlaid with custom assets. ‘Multiplayer’ controls allowed users to simultaneously manipulate, annotate and share information across platforms. Additionally, XRG created multiple virtual scenarios using custom 3D objects to enhance training with ‘what-if’ problem solving exercises.
The virtual Command and Control Center included live-streamed video feeds from all areas of the Port, allowing users to monitor active cameras remotely, customize the display, create visualizations that selected certain feeds, camera angles and zoom settings. Functionality to screenshot the results– including additional notes and markings—was incorporated to facilitate communications, training and preparation.
Because the system was developed as a multi-platform solution, the training and collaboration experience was made available on tablets and computers to ensure access across the enterprise. Of course the most immersive experiences were delivered on virtual reality HMDs (head mounted displays). The Port plans to purchase, scale and distribute hundreds of additional HMDs over time so that more workers are able to take advantage of the immersive training experience.
The Port of Miami executive team members were extremely happy with XR Global’s in-depth, multi-faceted solution. They report that the program’s features–remote collaboration with staff and workers device-agnostic, custom scenario rehearsal, real-time communication, 3D object control and ability to annotate screenshots– was extremely prescient in light of the current pandemic crisis. XR Global met the moment for The Port of Miami and delivered a valuable, potentially life-saving application.