Development of an AR-Based Application for Training of Warehouse Operators

Nowadays, logistics is increasingly becoming a crucial process in the modern factories, and numerous companies are paying growing attention to the continuous improvement of quality and efficiency of logistic processes. Although Industry 4.0 concept introduced new digital technologies and led to high degree of automation of industrial and logistic systems, many tasks still rely on human work, especially in the warehouse. As a consequence, the consideration of the operators’ needs is definitely a key topic to guarantee high quality work performance, according to Industry 5.0 paradigm. In this context, the quality of the training procedures is fundamental to speed up the knowledge transfer and empower operators through the use of digital technologies. This paper presents the development of a novel training methodology based on Augmented Reality (AR), promoting a learning-by-doing approach to enhance both operators’ satisfaction and process efficiency and flexibility. A dedicated AR application has been developed for a spare parts warehouse of a large enterprise operating in the agriculture and construction vehicles sector, according to a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach. Results from field testing showed how the AR application is positively rated by the operators, guaranteeing high user satisfaction, and limiting the training effort.