transformational technology

With technological transformation as one of Aalberts' main drivers, Aalberts hydronic flow control is introducing virtual reality (VR) training for one of their key products the Flamcomat. The training is initially for installers across the Netherlands before rolling it out across its entire market. This is a powerful training tool which will lead to a faster, simpler, and more accurate installation process.

think virtual: 15 minutes of training only
"The Flamcomat is one of our key products and is used across commercial locations such as hospitals and stadiums throughout Western Europe," says Jeroen van Halem, training development manager at Aalberts hydronic flow control. "Mounting it correctly can be demanding, and we know that a large percentage of post-installation issues could have been avoided with more accurate fitting. Training this skill asks a lot from the installer; it is time consuming and sometimes even impossible due to not having physical boiler rooms to install. The VR module offers a solution since the VR module training can be given anywhere; at a training location, customer office or even at a construction site. Given our focus on technology solutions, we chose to develop a simple and highly intuitive training module that can be followed using an Oculus VR headset. The training uses pictograms rather than language, so can be used universally, and guides users through the process step-by-step in around 15 minutes. This is slightly different from the augmented reality that Aalberts integrated piping systems has introduced to train colleagues, which uses glasses that mix virutal reality with real-world objects. We believe it’s going to be extremely well received by installers when we start rolling it out over the coming year.”

future ambitions: new technologies, new regions
From their new office in Almere, which includes an Academy with theoretical and practical classrooms, this is Aalberts hydronic flow control's first venture into VR training. And it probably won't be their last. "We are focusing on installers in general, but the VR training is specifically for commissioning service engineers,” Jeroen explains. “We will contact them through our sales department and we aim to roll this out across every market that offers the Flamcomat. This means making each country aware of the VR service, then training them, before rolling it out to the service engineers. To start using the VR service, our companies only need the Oculus Quest 2; we can easily upload the programme in the Oculus anywhere and anytime. Ultimately, our aim is to expand into other assembly areas with other units, as this is where we see the greatest benefits going forward."