Success Story: Dialouge with Schnellecke Logistics USA

Schnellecke:
Since 2016, Schnellecke has a training academy in Alabama where new and current team members are trained in an environment similar to the actual area of operations where they will be working. When the company expanded its business, we noticed that physical space runs out at some point, and creative solutions are needed without compromising on the quality of preparation of new team members. The company had already gathered positive experiences with virtual reality training in Germany and decided to launch a similar training method here in the US. It has proven to be highly effective and, most important, makes training fun at the same time.

Schnellecke:
Of course. Technology in a logistics environment becomes more important and all sorts of different technologies are making their entry every day. Schnellecke has a department focused on testing and trialing new technologies and, if found productive and cost efficient, implement these across the globe. For VR in particular, we have noticed that several of our global customers are now also working in the same direction, which proves to us that the market segment we are in believes in VR training solutions. VR allows a company to simulate operations with a 100% accuracy and allows trainees to become intimately aware of their tasks, their work environment and why they should carry out their tasks in a certain order. We have chosen to include visual, audio and haptic guidance in every step of the training exercises to ensure that new team members understand the orders they receive and get confirmation when they execute a task correctly. 

Schnellecke:
Schnellecke and abat were already involved in conversations that eventually led to discussions on training with VR technology. As a result, representatives from MEXabat met with Schnellecke and presented their ideas and solutions. The clear and concise way of presenting their concept along with hands-on examples on how the software would be developed was the reason Schnellecke choose MEXabat as their development partner for the VR training. 

Schnellecke:
Implementing the VR training has had multiple benets for the company. It was a boost for our employees, who noticed that Schnellecke has a progressive attitude towards new training methods and always seeks to improve these. Secondly, those that have trained with the VR system have noticeably more knowledge on the process steps and show a deeper understanding why certain steps are performed. Overall, satisfaction with the training program has gone up since it is now more varied and technologically advanced. Many of our associates are not familiar with VR yet which makes it more fun and challenging for them.

Schnellecke:
As we have had very positive experiences with the current VR training, Schnellecke has ideas on how VR could further benet us, both in our training academy and in other areas of the company. Besides the practical use, it also saves the company money since work cells, racks and other means do not necessarily need to be purchased. Schnellecke’s service portfolio encompasses a great number of processes that can be simulated in virtual reality, such as sequencing & kitting of materials, picking of parts or even forklift training that could potentially be trained in a VR environment.

We are sure, this is the beginning of long-term innovation partnership.