Hannover Messe trade show is always a really big deal for our customers who learn about the latest and greatest technologies, network, and hear the greatest stories. This year, we wanted to unveil the story about Goodyear driving innovation and productivity through remote collaboration.

Everybody knows Goodyear. It’s a brand we all know, admire and trust when we are in our vehicles with our loved ones. We are proud that the team has entrusted the use of our technology in their plants. (Editor NOTE: The story first appeared on Microsoft’s customer story site here in full.)

Prior to the pandemic, Goodyear was already deploying Microsoft Teams to 30,000 knowledge workers, but they wanted to extend that functionality to the factories. Goodyear originally looked at a whopping 50 connected devices before choosing RealWear “for its form factor and IP66 ruggedized rating for factory use”.

Goodyear Had to Adapt Fast on the Frontlines

When the pandemic hit in March and Microsoft announced the special RealWear-optimized Teams app, that’s when everything gelled for Goodyear at just the right time.

“We had a mature Teams deployment and we understood its benefits, so we didn’t want to introduce a new collaboration tool. The moment Teams became available on RealWear was our deciding factor,” says Dallas Olson, Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Engineering at Goodyear. “When we added the device to Teams meetings, like any other device, adoption of the RealWear solution moved quickly.”

“I was always in person to solve a problem, always. I thought that you had to meet in person or I had to travel to one of my plants or to a vendor to get anything done.”- Taylor Davis, an electrical engineer at the Process Development Center at Goodyear headquarters.

Goodyear turned to RealWear’s hands-free, voice-controlled wearable computers and MicrosoftTeams as their solution. “Instead of spending days traveling, I can be online in minutes with a subject matter expert to provide technical support or install a new piece of equipment. Microsoft Teams for RealWear is part of my everyday life to support my projects.” – Taylor Davis

By working for efficiently, Goodyear now keeps its plants running and its projects moving forward more effectively than before.

A few examples of how engineers use the RealWear hands-free wearable computers and Teams in Goodyear’s facilities include:

  • When a storm damaged a factory in Colombia, a local team used a RealWear device and Teams to provide a tour of the plant so the engineering and leadership teams could assess the damage and put a plan together to get it back online.
  • Engineers that were building a new test center in Texas used a RealWear device and Teams to validate construction progress with design engineers from a vendor in Germany.
  • Fine-tuning the mixing parameters for a new compound has always required specialized compound engineers to be present on site. This year, associates at a plant in Slovenia used the RealWear devices to stream the process to a Teams meeting with engineers in Luxembourg, who were able to direct the process tuning.
  • The Goodyear training organization is using RealWear devices to host remote workshops on Teams that associates around the world can join to learn equipment maintenance and operations skills while interacting with the instructor in real time.

Read the full case study on Microsoft.com

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