PRISM Video: XR in Action - Real-World Impact in Manufacturing
Sue McGuire is Senior Strategic Partnership Manager at Digital Catapult and Barry Kennedy is CEO at Irish Manufacturing Research (a member of Eirmersive). At PRISM ‘25 they joined Mark Sage, Executive Director at the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance, for a panel discussion to explore how XR (Extended Reality – VR/AR/MR) is solving operational challenges in Manufacturing, the gaps holding back adoption, and what the future might look like.
Barry Kennedy (Irish Manufacturing Research)
Why IMR was formed:
Industry-driven initiative to help companies adopt emerging technologies and stay competitive.
Ireland faces challenges despite strong productivity metrics:
High labour costs (9th globally).
Low digital readiness (23rd globally).
Low robotics adoption (50–60 robots per 10,000 employees vs Germany’s 430).
XR Use Cases:
Remote line qualification during COVID: VR/AR enabled remote commissioning when travel was impossible.
Navat platform: Mixed reality for construction progress tracking vs BIM models; used by a major global film studio.
Heavy engineering: Virtual product visualisation for design reviews and training, reducing language barriers.
Current Gaps:
Data optimisation: Reduce file sizes for immersive training (e.g., wind turbine servicing).
Ease of content creation: Move towards no-code tools so operators can build XR content themselves.
Realistic interaction: Improve haptics and peripherals for muscle memory training.
Integration: Better content pipelines back into PLM systems.
Future (2 years):
Lower equipment costs and improved ergonomics.
Operators creating XR content easily.
Greater focus on user well-being (comfort, psychological impact).
Sue Maguire (Digital Catapult)
About Digital Catapult:
UK-wide innovation centre funded by Innovate UK.
Focus on deep tech deployment: immersive, AI/ML, future networks, distributed ledger, quantum.
Four missions:
Support deep tech startups/scaleups.
Drive industrial decarbonisation.
Build resilient supply chains.
Enable industry adoption of deep tech.
XR Use Cases:
Animotive: Immersive accelerator participant; secured VC investment.
Yellow Design: Virtual product modelling to reduce global transport costs.
Arteimus: Immersive simulation for training crews on net-zero vessels, reducing cost and risk.
Key Barriers:
Skills and capability: Need for training and creative capacity building.
Operational use cases: Bridge gap between “cool demos” and real-world applications.
Awareness: Many businesses don’t know what XR can deliver.
Future Outlook:
Falling hardware costs will accelerate adoption.
Devices must suit harsh environments (e.g., construction).
Awareness and stakeholder engagement remain critical.
Shared Insights
COVID accelerated XR adoption, but momentum slowed post-pandemic.
Change management is as important as technology—engage end users early.
XR success depends on solving real business problems, not just showcasing tech.
Expect more accessible tools, better ergonomics, and integration with enterprise
You can watch the full panel discussion in the video below.