Virtual Reality Software for Work System Planning at DEHN SE

VR software from R3DT has been used in work system planning and factory planning at lightning protection specialist DEHN since 2019. With the new technology, planning tasks can be completed better and faster as a team with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

Find out more about the use of XR-EASY® at DEHN in the following interview with Michael Mohren, Head of Process Planning, as well as in the detailed use case report (whitepaper for download).

Interview with Michael Mohren

Who are the customers and users of the virtual reality tool?

My name is Michael Mohren. I have been with DEHN SE for 4 years. We do electrical overload and lightning protection. Before I took over the management of the process planning I was a consultant for assembly station design and ergonomics.

How do you use the VR tool in your everyday planning?

In factory planning we design our layout, copy it into VR and together with our collaborator we look at the layout and discuss change requests. The employees can rearrange containers: Where is the pallet? Where the packing material? All these things can be experienced more realistically in VR than in 2D.

How do you collaborate with people who are affected by assembly planning?

The most important part from my point of view is the use of VR in assembly process planning, because the assembly processes are actually carried out with the hands. Through this process we are able to integrate, the employees more into the planning process, which is very important to me personally. Simply because the acceptance afterwards is much greater, to accept changes that may arise.

Do you use the ergonomics check of the VR tool?

Especially when more and more screens are coming to the workplace, the ergonomics check is excellent to redesign the arrangement of the screens. Another aspect is, that you can experience yourself in the different percentiles. This also has the purpose that “a big man”, who does not understand at all why this reaching height is not good, this man can also experience being “the little woman” and can assemble from the little woman’s point of view.

How does the planning process work today compared to the past?

Before we tried to communicate our ideas to the designer via PowerPoint and the designer translated them into CAD. Today we meet in the Industrial Engineering Lab. We drag the CAD file onto the VR goggles. Everybody can take a look at the layout, or touch the object and work on it, and give his feedback. That then goes into the further development of the designer, who gets precise feedback what the next modification steps should look like.

What are the biggest advantages of the VR tool for DEHN?

1. First of all we are a lot quicker: “Time to market” as a fitting keyword.
2. We are more efficient, meaning the planning process has become much more efficient.
3. Changes that we make are coordinated within the team. All affected parties are involved.
4. And this is very important: We were able to reduce meeting times. I have to say, this has accelerated our process a lot.