Background report
Machine, plant and component manufacturers - not only in the textile industry - often work on very similar challenges when introducing digital service solutions. This can start with understanding and evaluating trend topics such as artificial intelligence, IoT or industrial metaverse for the innovation of their own products and processes. It is essential not to simply follow the hype, but to ask the most important question of all: how can machinery and equipment be improved with digital innovations or how can digital value-added services be created? The answer may sound rather modest, but the decisive factor for success lies in the design of processes and workflows. After all, with the possibilities offered by digital technologies, these processes typically first have to be adapted or redesigned in order to permanently unleash the full potential of the innovation.In addition to this basic process topic, questions often arise such as:
- What are the integration points with existing IT systems? Which interfaces need to be created?
- What does change management look like in order to master the transformation of the status quo to new processes?
- How can business models be designed to use digital innovations not only to save costs through efficiency gains, but also to generate new revenue streams?
The exchange with other companies working on similar questions can be very motivating and provide valuable orientation. To give this group dynamic effect a systematic framework, ITA, DCC and oculavis have developed the VisiHero program, which offers an intensive exploration of these questions over a period of 6 months. And it provides answers, because the overall goal of the program is clearly formulated: to design innovative service processes, to implement them technically and organizationally, and to secure competitive advantages through new service offerings. The content can range from the provision of service information via QR codes directly at the machine, to maintenance and training with step-by-step instructions, to augmented reality video support for factory acceptance tests, commissioning or classic troubleshooting.

I look forward to a fruitful partnership for our industry with fresh formats and forward-looking, economical solutions”,, Director of The International Centre for Sustainable Textiles
To further increase the incentive for the maximum of 20 participating companies in addition to these tangible added values, the VisiHero program includes a very special challenge: the company that creates the best use cases at the end of the program will receive prestigious prices. Who the winners of the VisiHero Awards will be is determined by a neutral jury based on a pitch event at the end of the program. In the pitch sessions, participants present their innovative service processes, approaches to the project and results achieved to a plenary session of all participants. The VisiHero Awards are endowed with software packages from oculavis worth more than 70,000 Euros and a free annual membership in the Digital Capability Center Aachen. The high publicity award ceremony will take place at the All About Remote 2023 conference in Aachen.

In the end, all participating companies will be winners who create and implement new digital service offerings as part of the program with the aim of increasing process efficiency and service quality and establishing digital business models in after-sales service”, comments, Founder & Managing Director of oculavis
Program schedule
- Registration until July 7, 2023 at visihero.de
- Kickoff event on July 11, 2023
- Open Exchange Sessions: bi-weekly, moderated exchange of experience
- Three intensive impulse workshops
- Pitch event with jury vote
- Award ceremony of the VisiHero Awards at All About Remote conference on November 30, 2023
Visihero: Corporate Challenge for the Textile Industry[23:53] Join our innovation program and design innovative service processes with AR Video Support