CASE STUDY

Schweizer Electronic

How Schweizer Electronic use AIVR to confidently and efficiently design and plan their site of work.

Schweizer Electronic produce track warning systems and radio systems to keep railway personnel safe when working on live lines. They also produce level crossings that protect members of the public when crossing the infrastructure.

The Challenge

When designing for new sites and planning for installation, like many organisations it’s crucial for Schweizer Electronic to gain visual familiarity with the track environment.

Prior to adopting AIVR, Schweizer Electronic would rely on historical line-side documentation which would often be out of date or couldn’t always provide a visual of the site itself. Relying solely on site visitation would prove difficult due to the length of site which would need protecting, as well as having to secure line blockages; these factors cause delays in the design creation, and therefore impact efficient project delivery.

Whilst site possessions were an option, this process often takes place at night, meaning when teams would get access this was often in poor lighting conditions, adding additional time pressure to get the work done. Yet site visitation would still result in high cost and time commitment, should surveys require employees to travel across the UK to undertake this work.

The Solution: AIVR

Using AIVR has allowed Schweizer Electronic to have up-to-date “virtual site visits” on a daily basis, enabling teams to review project locations quickly and safely from their desktop. The team at Schweizer Electronic use AIVR to correlate data provided or data collected by themselves to ensure that they have a true source of information, and then utilise this to confidently deliver design. Undertaking this work online has also brought the additional benefit of a faster design turnaround, minimising the likelihood of a project being delayed.

The team utilises AIVR’s measurement tool to give them a “real world chance” to scope out track sections, check safe access, and help to make decisions on trackside asset placement.

Users have the ability to download video footage from AIVR, which is analysed and annotated with relevant information by the Schweizer Electronic team to be shared internally with other members of teams such as the designers and verifiers.

With members of staff all across the country viewing trackside data virtually, AIVR saves Schweizer Electronic from travelling to site, in turn reducing costs of paying for fuel, paying for hotels, and arranging track access, saving a considerable amount of money and time whilst simultaneously boosting productivity.