But what is the difference between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)? A brief definition and distinction: while virtual reality completely blocks out the real world and replaces it with a synthetically generated environment, augmented reality retains reality and merely adds virtual elements. We see this almost every day on television when arrows or circles are superimposed during sports broadcasts to explain strategic movements. Or in the car, when navigation instructions appear on the windshield. Future buildings or entire room interiors can also be visualized with augmented reality. Or in the smartphone game "Pokémon GO", where players can track down virtual Pokémon in the real world.

AR technology also facilitates many work and coordination processes at Lapp. "For us, augmented reality is an important tool for being on site without actually being there physically," says Markus Liller, Head of Supplier Management at Lapp. Augmented reality is being used more and more frequently at Lapp, especially when selecting suitable suppliers. It all started during the pandemic. Visiting potential suppliers and reviewing existing suppliers was hardly possible at the time because travel was prohibited or involved a lot of effort. The supplier management team was no longer able to do its job to the full; on-site inspections were no longer feasible.

Under the project management of Markus Liller from Supplier Management at Lapp, alternative technologies were sought to at least enable digital quality assurance. The Italian software provider OverIT with its cloud-based software Space1 was found as a new partner for this. It all started with a borrowed pair of pre-assembled augmented reality glasses. Today, Lapp has concluded a multi-year contract with OverIT with licenses for the entire Lapp Group worldwide, and the augmented reality glasses are increasingly being used at the many production and sales locations. "In theory, the smartphone could also be used with the AR software, but the AR glasses mean that everyone has their hands free and can follow instructions better," says Liller.

The augmented reality glasses function more or less like mega-powerful digital binoculars, allowing you to see the exact book titles on a living room bookshelf from hundreds or thousands of kilometers away - wherever you are in the world. All you need is a laptop with the appropriate software and a person who is in this distant living room and is looking at the bookshelf with the appropriately configured AR glasses on their head. The person at the laptop can then tell the AR glasses wearer exactly which book to pull from the shelf and which page in the book to open using digital signs on the laptop.

AR technology facilitates work and coordination processes at Lapp. © Lapp

It works the same way in the factory. The "specialist" sits at the laptop and sees exactly what the AR glasses wearer is seeing. He can talk to this person and tell them exactly what needs to be shown. If there are language barriers, symbols are also possible. The arrow or circle on the laptop can also be seen by the person wearing the glasses on site and can act accordingly.

Advantages for supplier management

AR technology is very helpful in supplier management, where it is not only about production standards, but also about compliance with human rights and environmental protection in accordance with the new German Supply Chain Duty of Care Act. The supplier management team at Lapp's headquarters in Germany, for example, sent pre-configured augmented reality glasses on site to inspect a potential supplier from India. The supplier was then able to walk through the factory. The appointment was scheduled at short notice, as the particular focus was on compliance with occupational safety measures. At the 'other end', an employee from Supplier Management in Germany sat in front of his laptop and saw exactly what the supplier in India saw with his glasses. He specified verbally or digitally with symbols exactly which areas in production should be shown. At the same time, the Lapp employee was able to save the corresponding images and videos to document the inspection.

The result: the cable manufacturer passed the audit and was accepted as a new supplier to Lapp.

Support in production

But AR technology can also be helpful in production. For example, a large machine from China recently had to be set up in a very short space of time to expand production capacity. As travel was still prohibited, the Chinese manufacturer supported the assembly by transferring all the steps to his laptop via the AR glasses on site so that he could communicate the next assembly steps. AR technology also helped in the event of an unplanned machine breakdown at night. The machine operator alerted an expert who was not on site. With the help of the AR glasses, the expert was still able to take a close look at the machine and give the operator precise instructions on how to restart production.

The AR software offers numerous other possibilities: It can also display additional information such as maintenance instructions, drawings or fault diagnoses to support the wearer of the glasses. This is particularly helpful when troubleshooting. "There is still a lot of potential in AR technology. We at Lapp will certainly continue to expand its use," emphasizes Liller.