Exploring the Benefits of Virtual Reality (VR) in Manufacturing Training: A Comprehensive Overview

Introduction

Training plays a key strategic role in many organizations since it affects employees' knowledge, potential, efficiency, and effectiveness. Companies are constantly looking for the greatest personnel, therefore the need to educate industrial workers is becoming increasingly clear. Training is an activity that alters the behavior of employees. The primary objective of the training is to boost productivity. However, it is simply one of the advantages of training. Training is necessary not just to increase productivity, but also to motivate, encourage, and educate workers by emphasizing the significance of their activities and giving them all of the knowledge, they require to accomplish their jobs properly. In recent years, the industrial business has changed tremendously. With handcrafting through highly structured mass-producing facilities to highly tailored Industry 4.0, items have traditionally been made. As a result, the workforce's ability to adapt to fast-changing environments has increased. Commodity creation is today driven by global competition, and there is a need for rapid adaptation of skills, procedures, and production to meet the demands of changing markets (Doolani,2020; Punia,2012). A manufacturing company's chances of success rise considerably when it helps new and existing personnel realize their maximum potential and productivity via learning. Training for the performance of manufacturing operations is any activity that focuses on delivering information that will help a person conduct their work more skillfully. Training can range from updating best practices in the sector to introducing new skill sets. The ultimate aim is for work teams in a manufacturing plant to coexist at a constant evolutionary level. In this continually changing labor market, it is critical to preserve a competitive edge by regularly educating industrial staff. A continuous growth plan for manufacturing plant staff is one of the most effective and proven strategies to do this (Garavan et.al.,2021). Manufacturing is a key component of global economic growth engines, contributing to both broader economic activity (especially productivity) and jobs. The global manufacturing industry is undergoing major structural change, with the comparative influence transferring progressively from developed to emerging nations. Global value chains have become increasingly important in the creation and manufacture of new goods, and developing nations are increasingly competing with developed economies in knowledge-intensive and low-technology components. Productivity has improved as industrial technology has advanced rapidly. As a result, ensuring employee engagement, achievement, and well-being is critical. Both cognitive and athletic abilities are required. The growing industrial sector has resulted in a major increase in skill demands (Donovan,2013). Training has been identified as a crucial factor in acquiring the skills and competencies required to participate in innovative activities. Manufacturing organizations spent an average of $1,217 per person on training and development in 2020, accordance to a Training Industry, Inc. survey. According to McKinsey, the survey demonstrates that manufacturing automation and digitalization have radically changed the skill requirements for employment vocations. This is because all new tools and technologies will only work if they are installed and operated by a trained, upskilled workforce (Xie,2020). According to a recent Economic Times study, workers who receive training can improve their performance, increase productivity, and acquire greater leadership qualities. Because a firm is the sum of its workers' achievements, it is critical for organizations to make every effort to ensure that individuals reach their full potential. The introduction of new technology in industrial facilities has produced a talent gap that must be filled. Because of this skill transition, managers and learning and development professionals must rethink their employee training procedures and begin reskilling and upskilling their staff in new digital skills and technologies. The revolution in the field of training has brought Virtual Reality (VR) Training into the market which is helping to improvise the training process very easily. Virtual reality is a sort of immersive modeling that may be used to instruct, for example, in the military or medical fields, or to entertain, as in VR video games. Virtual reality (VR) is a fast-evolving computer interface that aims to fully immerse users in immersive simulations. This vastly improves the whole experience and creates a far more seamless link between computers and human contact. Virtual reality has achieved success in a variety of industries, including fast prototyping, manufacturing, scientific visualization, engineering, and teaching. The virtual reality user is transported to another world by wearing a headset. VR technology may even replicate sensations and noises to increase realism. VR first appeared in 1962. Morton Heilig invented the Sensorama at that time. This was founded on his Experience Theatre concept, which he created a decade before. The Sensorama system resembled a combination of a voting machine and something you could see at an eye clinic. You sat in a flat seat and leaned your head into a gap. You'd see a film that stimulated your senses of touch, smell, sound, and sight. By 1968, Ivan Sutherland, Bob Sproull, and Sutherland's other students had created a head-mounted VR display. It was the very first of its sort. The phrase “virtual reality” became popular in the 1980s, thanks largely to one of its pioneers, Jaron Lanier. His business, VPL Research, invented VR technologies such as the AudioSphere, the EyePhone (not to be confused with Apple's iPhone, which arrived much later), and the DataGlove. Mattel, the creators of the Power Glove, a Nintendo accessory released in the late 1980s, received the latter product. (LaValle,2023). Virtual reality is gaining popularity in a variety of industries, including the employee training market. Employee training has gone a long way, and it is now gradually adjusting to Virtual Reality. Professional VR training can undoubtedly assist your organization to expand by providing improved training sessions to your staff rather than dull theoretical-based training. There are several benefits to using Virtual Reality training. For example, you may simulate real-life circumstances in a virtual setting so that employees are not injured during the training session. Though direct experience is the greatest method to learn, the level of teaching available through VR will greatly assist students in dealing with difficult situations. In response to the issue of what are some compelling arguments for implementing VR in training practices, the following are some descriptions of the same (Patil,2019);