Owing to the rapid adoption of augmented and virtual technologies, global businesses are swiftly transforming conventional operation strategies as a means of survival in this ever-evolving, competitive market. AR and VR have emerged as the two spectrums of a complex market that can transform customer experiences. It is redefining the natural way of interacting with objects and places. Nevertheless, there are several hindrances that these firms have to face to streamline cutting-edge solutions and serve the industry's end-users. Meeting these challenges and producing avant-garde solutions is The Boiler Room. Even though The Boiler Room is the oldest 3D animation company in South Africa, it takes pride in recognizing itself for using some of the latest or yet-to-be-invented technologies to solve the training requirements of the clients in end-to-end solutions. The company partners with its customers to find innovative solutions for complex industrial problems. 

From Garage to Greatest 3D Library: An Incredible Journey

Mark Hocker is the Chief Executive Officer of The Boiler Room. Commenced in 1999 as a typical startup in Mark's garage, The Boiler Room started as an animation production company and quickly branched out to start using animations and video for one of its first learning clients SASOL (petrochemical and mining). Soon, Mark realized the potential use of AR and VR and how they could contribute to the learning space after which the company started investing extensively in this new technology. The Boiler Room probably has the largest 3D library in the world. Its bespoke projects are developed faster and more cost-effectively by using the assets from the library, which in turn benefits the clients. In addition to the library, the company's next big asset is its bespoke Unity framework. The framework, through scripts, allows users to drastically reduce the development time for standard activities, tasks, and environments in 'unity', again speeding up delivery for the client.

A Techie Streamlining Animation with AR/VR

As an animator and programmer by trade, Mark's focus has always been on combining the art of animation with the available virtual reality technology. Although his roots lie in Australia, Mark believes that he has contributed to and grown animation in South Africa. His passion has also extended to keep up with the latest trends and now fully includes all AR and VR technologies. Mark still gets personally involved in some of the research and development activities to date.

Lighting Up Starters' Career with Great Opportunities 

The Boiler Room creates many opportunities for individuals to enter the job market for the very first time as AR and VR juniors. With close to 100 staff across the group, the company actively participates in local and global events and seminars, sharing in both thought leadership, as well as practical advances. Working collaboratively on a global basis, the company provides its client base with world-class solutions and best practices. 

'Disruptive Technologies' as a Trigger to Growth 

Disruptive technologies have enhanced and improved the AR and VR experience. Reporting is infinitely more detailed due to big data. Besides, Mark opines that AI provides enhanced experiences and assessments in the VR world by autonomously engaging in the gameplay experience based on predictive analytics. Blockchain and photogrammetry have also been disruptive technologies that the company is extensively deploying in its operations.

Making the Impossible Possible 

As a specialist content development agency, The Boiler Room has partnered with several organizations globally, focusing on the end-to-end delivery and reporting of bespoke AR and VR experiences. Internally, the team constantly challenges itself with unique AR and VR experiences, and the standard response to clients with seemingly impossible requests is, "challenge accepted!" For over 15 years, The Boiler Room is yet to fail at this. 

Scoring Triple 'As' with Customer-centric Solutions 

The Boiler Room has always been customer-centric, meeting clients' unique needs and delivering exceptional learning solutions, claims Mark. According to client feedback, some of its AR and VR experiences are AAA-rated. And these ratings translate into real return on investment for its clients! For example, one of the company's VR maintenance applications has achieved a reduction in unscheduled maintenance from 24 hours average repair time down to 4 hours machine back in production. Besides, another global OEM that is using its maintenance application in the mining industry has achieved a 50%-time reduction in maintenance tasks. Lastly, hot off the press, one of the leading platinum mines using Boiler Room's operator training has reduced time to competence by around 60% with an increase in machines trained on. 

Investing in 3D Training and Young Talents  

Working from South Africa, The Boiler Room team has often devised innovative solutions to address real-world challenges as not all hardware manufacturers are supportive towards the content. Besides, skills shortages in the AR and VR industry have also been a hurdle for the company. To mitigate this, the team is investing in the future of AR and VR skills in South Africa and is actively cross-training 3D animators.  

Envisioning South Africa as the Augmented and Virtual Reality Hotspot

Mark states that due to quality, favorable costs, and innovative solutions, South Africa could soon become an AR and VR development destination. With a large number of multinational blue-chip clients, The Boiler Room will certainly become one of the largest production companies on the continent, with innovative AR and VR solutions used around the world. With an office established in Australia and global resellers, The Boiler Room is well on the way to becoming a go-to destination for innovative AR/VR innovations.