What problem this solves
Most industrial organisations face a combination of these challenges:
- Skills shortage and aging workforce. Experienced technicians are retiring faster than new ones can be trained. Their knowledge often leaves with them.
- Increasing process complexity. Products, regulations, and equipment change frequently. Keeping instructions current is difficult.
- Errors, rework, and downtime. When procedures are unclear or hard to access, mistakes happen. These cost time and money.
- Slow onboarding. New hires spend weeks shadowing experienced colleagues. This ties up experts and delays productivity.
AI- and AR-guided work instructions address these problems by making procedural knowledge easier to capture, access, and followâdirectly in the work environment.
Where ROI comes from
The financial return from AR-guided work instructions typically comes from four areas:
- Faster onboarding. New employees reach baseline competency in days instead of weeks. Less shadowing time, less trainer burden.
- Fewer errors. Step-by-step visual guidance reduces first-time mistakes. Less rework, less scrap, fewer quality issues.
- Less downtime. Troubleshooting is faster when guidance is available on demand. Remote experts can assist without travel.
- More consistent execution. Everyone follows the same procedure, regardless of experience level or shift.
These improvements compound over time. A 30% reduction in training time multiplied across dozens of hires per year adds up quickly.
See how this is calculated â or estimate impact for your situation â
How to use the ROI calculator
ActARion provides a free calculator to estimate potential savings. There are two modes:
- Quick estimate. Enter a few basic numbers (headcount, training days, error rates). Get a rough order of magnitude in 2 minutes. Useful for early conversations.
- Detailed estimate. Add more context: costs per error, downtime costs, number of at-risk experts. Useful for building a business case or comparing scenarios.
The output is directional, not a guarantee. It shows what's plausible based on industry benchmarks. Actual results depend on implementation quality and starting conditions.
Validate assumptions, don't trust slides
Any ROI estimate is only as good as its assumptions. Default values in the calculator are based on published industry research (PwC, McKinsey, Deloitte, etc.), but your situation may differ.
ActARion's approach is to validate assumptions through focused pilots:
- Start with one or two high-impact processes
- Measure baseline performance before implementation
- Track KPIs (training time, error rates, task completion time) during the pilot
- Compare results to projections before scaling
This builds confidenceâfor you and for finance stakeholdersâbefore committing to a larger rollout.
Explore by use case
AR-guided work instructions apply to many operational scenarios. The most common:
- Onboarding & Training with AR SOPs â Accelerate time-to-competency for new hires and role changes.
- AR-Guided Assembly â Reduce assembly errors with visual guidance at the point of work.
- AR-Guided Changeovers â Reduce setup time and variability between shifts.
- Preventive & Predictive Maintenance â Guide technicians through inspections and routine tasks.
- Remote Expert Support â Connect field workers with specialists without travel.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions we hear from operations and training leaders:
- What hardware is required? (Smart glasses, tablets, or smartphones all work.)
- How long does implementation take? (Pilots typically run 8â12 weeks.)
- What if our processes change frequently? (Content can be updated without code changes.)
This page is designed as a starting point. Each linked resource goes deeper into one aspect of ROI, implementation, or validation.
If you've reviewed the materials and want to discuss your specific situation, schedule a discovery call. It's a no-pressure conversation to explore whether AR-guided work instructions make sense for your operations.