CASE STUDY > SEMBCORP
Need for improved training
SembCorp wanted to improve training for high-risk operations for its fast-growing, multi-location workforce.
They wanted to turn the training more effective and engaging.
AutoVRse converted SembCorp’s verified SOPs for 6 critical procedures into VR training modules.
We enabled multiplayer features so SembCorp can conduct training across multiple sites.
Prepared workers
SembCorp workers arrive at job sites with the procedures memorized from hands-on VR training.
Real-world risk exposure reduced before hands-on work begins
Proven expertise in high-risk industrial training
AutoVRse has a track record of building VR training experiences for industrial environments that demand higher safety standards. It made us the right fit for SembCorp's high-stakes operations.
Capability to turn existing SOPs into VR
AutoVRse's LxD team could take existing, verified SOPs and translate them directly into immersive training scenarios. SembCorp didn’t need to rebuild procedures from scratch.
Scalability across multiple sites
By combining multiplayer VR capability with multi-device deployment, AutoVRse could deliver training experiences that work across SembCorp's different plants.
Design for all levels of tech familiarity
AutoVRse built the modules with simple, touch-based interactions. This made the training accessible to workers with zero VR experience.
Challenge: Training an expanding workforce to handle challenges in high-risk environments
The field workers at SembCorp operate in some of the most demanding conditions known to mankind. They put their safety and health in danger during procedures like:
Climbing windmills for repair
Inspecting confined spaces
Handling live electrical systems
Workers engaged in these procedures must follow the specific safety practices they’re taught during training. If not, the consequences would be catastrophic; both for them and SembCorp.
SembCorp has a rapidly growing workforce and plants spread across multiple locations. Even minor inefficiencies in the training pipeline can result in the workers suffering dangerous hazards while on the job.
The traditional classroom training SembCorp relied on wasn’t giving results. A lot of them—particularly workers in the younger generation—learned nothing as the sessions didn’t hold their attention enough. The ones who did maintain their attention didn’t fare much better; They grasped the material but only at a theoretical level.
Most importantly, classroom training failed to instill the intuitive, quick thinking that SembCorp’s procedures require.
Quickly, SembCorp had to build a training system that’s:
Effective enough to prevent hazards
Engaging to newer generations
Scalable across multiple locations
Solution: Turning actual SOPs into intuitive VR training experiences
SembCorp reached out to AutoVRse to understand how our expertise in VR training could be of help to them.
AutoVRse and SembCorp’s team held discussions and unilaterally decided to implement VR training for the 6 most critical areas first—those areas where the risk was the highest.
These were:
Solar Panels – Electrical Safety
Windmill – Work at Height
Defensive Driving
Solar Panels – Work at Height
Windmill – Electrical Safety
Lifting
SembCorp has tried-and-tested SOPs for these procedures. Our LxD team analyzed them and created in-depth storyboards that adapt the procedures to the virtual training environment. Since most workers lacked experience with VR, we designed the modules to only have simple touch-based interactions.
In all VR training modules, workers face realistic, guided scenarios—be it proper harnessing for work at height or LOTO procedures for electrical safety. Workers receive real-time feedback about how correct or wrong their actions are. They also face an evaluation at the end of each module.
We also implemented the ability to run group training sessions across locations. Towards this end, 10 VR devices with multiplayer capability were deployed.
Result: Workers who are skilled in high-risk procedures even before they arrive at the job
Future: Building a mature training infrastructure based on immersive training
SembCorp is also planning to roll out the AutoVRse-created modules across all SembCorp plants. This includes evaluation modules to track and assess trainee performance over time.
SembCorp’s long-term roadmap with AutoVRse is one of scale. SembCorp intends to scale its VR training infrastructure to other critical safety procedures. In the long-term, it could expand to use cases like maintenance, installation, operations, and troubleshooting.