VR and the automotive industry: use cases and benefits at PSA

Immersive Learning is nothing but the name of a proper revolution to be reckoned with. Based on the most powerful levers for efficient and engaging learning, now strongly evidenced by scientific research, Immersive Learning is paving the way for a great deal of value creation at organizations that have seized the related opportunities The PSA Group, a leader in the automotive industry, is one of them. Let’s see how PSA has engaged in a journey towards better training and communication through the use of Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning. Case study to download at the end of this article!

The expansion of Virtual Reality in the automotive industry

It is no longer a secret, the integration of VR is disrupting the automotive industry. In recent years, this technology has been used for advertising purposes to modernize the brand image of car manufacturers. All of them have done so : Hyundai offers the possibility of living a race from the driver’s point of view. Toyota’s customers are immersed in dangerous situations to highlight the strengths of its vehicles. Audi offers an app for Oculus Rift that allows its customers to view and configure the vehicle as they wish by trying out the different options.

The PSA group goes even further than communication and brand image by addressing training and safety issues. The company offers various experiences to its employees that immerse them into a virtual world that perfectly imitates their real work environment.

They are then free to test their skills, make mistakes without any harmful consequence and simulate unpredictable situations Leveraging on gamification tools, such pedagogical experiences get undoubtedly funnier and thus successful: learners receive continuous stimulation, they feel more concerned, hence they can better memorize the relevant skills and knowledge.

Why PSA uses Immersive Learning to train its employees

PSA has obviously nurtured a strong ambition when it comes to becoming a so-called “self-learning organization”, in addition to being always on the lookout for new, promising technological innovations. As explained by Jean Sevagen, head of the Industrial Academy, it was highly important to PSA that all stakeholders of the group get the possibility to create “knowledge capsules” and “make them available to others”, both internally and externally.

PSA is now making the most out of new immersive technologies in order to address various issues such as employee training and brand communication. With “learning by doing” as their motto, PSA managed to take 360° views/films of its own environments or workstations, before augmenting them with numerous pedagogical interactions to offer extremely lively and interactive experiences.

A variety of use cases

One of such experiences aims to better prepare new operators before they arrive on the production line by showing them the different stages within the workstations, as well as Safety & Quality best practices.

Thanks to this training, the onboarding process of new employees is improved and accelerated: they already know their workstation and related best practices once they arrive on the production line. This helps reduce the amount of time dedicated to onboarding by local managers, as well as the line’s time of interruption, resulting in considerable productivity gains and value creation.

Besides, with respect to the prevention of occupational disease, one experience created at PSA makes it possible for operators to follow a physiotherapist through their typical circuit at work and benefit from his advice and demos of tailored workout and stretching exercises The aim of the experience is to provide training in the right physical preparation exercises, as well as in taking up work and stretching to facilitate recovery after work. Operators can get familiar with the gestures by repeating them simultaneously, as well as mentally projecting them into the course of their daily life, hence a better memorization.

PSA experience makes it possible for plant employees to share know-how and skills from one site to another. There is no need anymore to make the trip to another plant to get trained by peers. Which means a great deal of savings on travel costs and a better use of time.

PSA is also leveraging on immersive technologies for external communication purpose: through VR, PSA can immerse its customers into the world of its DS brand, by virtually walking them through a guided tour of the DS World flagship store in Paris. Detailed information punctuates the visit as the customer goes through the different areas and helps convey the brand’s universe.

The 4 above-mentioned examples are only a glimpse of the 60 or so experiencecs created by PSA to train more than 40,000 employees in 5 different countries over the 2018-2019 period.

Find out more about PSA’s Immersive Learning experiences by clicking on the picture right below. You’ll be able to download our case study about the success story PSA is writing with 360° Virtual Reality ! The future of Immersive Learning looks bright.