Enexis Netherlands Drives Utility Energy Transformation with Dynamics 365 + HoloLens 2

为了确保其当前和未来的员工能够满足未来的需求，Enexis推出了一项以使用MicrosoftDynamics 365 Guides andHoloLens 2 Mixed Reality centered training program. This initiative allowed trainees to master the material 40% faster than the traditional approach, and the rapid success of the company as a whole convinced Enexis to explore the possibilities offered by the industrial meta-universe even further.

Enexis首席运营官鲁格·范迪莱乌（Rutger van der Leeuw）在讨论能源转型给更广泛的能源部门带来的挑战，以及他的公司正在采取的应对措施时说道：“能源转型正在发生，而且现在正在发生。但要想成功，我们需要改变。”

He further stated, "Enexis is committed to facilitating the energy transition throughout the Netherlands and creating a sustainable energy future by developing, maintaining and operating safe and efficient energy networks. Our mission is to meet the growing demand for renewable energy by promoting innovative solutions."

But that's easier said than done. Van Dileu explains, "Our experts predict that in order to meet future energy demand, we will need to scale up grid capacity in the next ten years to a size comparable to what has been built over the past century. This is a task we cannot accomplish alone. We need to change the way we work, our skills and how we use them. We need technology to help us do that."

This is exactly what Enexis has been doing. Through a partnership with Microsoft and its partner Recreate, this company has launched a digital transformation program centered on implementing new technologies and training employees through skills courses created using mixed reality solutions.

Van Dileu said, "Mixed reality technology promises to make a remarkable contribution to the energy transition by optimizing operations, improving efficiency and reducing downtime. That's what innovation and Microsoft do for us: provide us with the tools we need and drive meaningful change in the years to come."

Preparing for the new demands of the workforce

Enexis Netbeheer is a Dutch state-owned utility company. For the past 100 years, the company has been responsible for the transportation and distribution of natural gas and electricity lines in the north, east and south of the Netherlands.

Veerle Wijshoff, Innovation Manager at Enexis Netbeheer, says: "We are an old, traditional company that specializes in the installation, management and maintenance of electrical wiring nationwide. This has been our main source of income for decades and has enabled us to play an increasingly important role in the industry."

但现在情况正在改变，所以Enexis同样在改变。为了更好地适应能源转型，这家公司宣布到2023年将投资13亿欧元用于天然气和传统维护等活动，并且每年将发电量扩大20吉瓦。

Furrer continues, "These investments bring us closer to our sustainability goals for the coming years. But at the same time, they bring new challenges at the same time, especially in the area of skills and training."

With more than 4,500 employees, Enexis finds itself at a crossroads. On the one hand, some of our employees have been with our company their whole lives and they are retiring soon," she notes. On the other hand, we are hiring a lot of new people and we need to train them on our existing business and the new solutions we are implementing. Add to that the skills shortage that is prevalent throughout the industry, and you can see how important our need for talent is. Fortunately, Microsoft and its partner Recreate have found a way to help us."

Bringing Mixed Reality to Training

Furrer recalls the moment she and her newly formed innovation team decided to connect mixed reality to the skill needs of Enexis.

她解释说：“我们意识到公司在新员工方面面临短缺的挑战，同时意识到导师和培训师本身的短缺。为了应对这些挑战，我们知道我们可以依靠科技和其他快速发展的创新机会。但这对我们来说还不够。我们真的想要一个可以增加价值，对我们的指导计划产生直接影响，同时帮助我们为更多的技术实现创建一个构造块的解决方案和用例。”

The team immediately realized that HoloLens 2 was the perfect solution for the stated needs.

Furrer notes, "For example, it can help make training faster, more inclusive and practical. It can also support instructors by allowing them to save time. Finally, it's perfect for a new generation of young learners who are naturally attracted to and curious about technology. Mixed Reality, along with the Dynamics 365 Guides and HoloLens technology it comes with is perfect for our training needs. We finally have a clear business case to sell to our superiors and hope to use it as a baseline for more future use cases."

She further said, "The next step is to create an MR program."

Promoting cross-sectoral cooperation

After Enexis decided to test HoloLens 2, it became a long-term cross-departmental collaboration involving the innovation team, IT, educators and Microsoft partner Recreate.

Furrer said, "We knew from the start of the program that we couldn't succeed without help from the business and IT side of the business, and without the perspective of the trainers and trainers. That's when Wilco Gort, hands-on training coordinator, and Joost Looij, ICT director, came along."

The result is an end-to-end solution that uses HoloLens 2 and theMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Guides creates 3D training materials for Enexis trainees. The solution described allows employees to develop their own guides using mixed reality software and connects frontline employees with remote experts via Microsoft Teams. This further facilitates knowledge sharing among employees.

The beauty of training with HoloLens 2 is that it is an easy-to-build solution that saves trainers' time and frees them up for other activities," said Wilco Gott. Using this solution, trainers can record actual lessons and deliver them via video and 3D content. This is really helpful, especially when it comes to simulations."

Tim Hermans, CTO of Recreate, looks back at the early stages of the solution. He said, "From the beginning of the project, our goal at Recreate was to apply our unique knowledge of mixed reality solutions to Enexis' needs and help them generate real, tangible added value. They wanted something they didn't have to build from scratch, so we brought HoloLens and Guides off the shelf and started developing digital training materials for trainers to record. The result is this excellent solution that allows trainees to learn new skills in a practical, hands-free way."

Enexis' ICT Director, Jost Loygi, acknowledged this, saying, "This project has helped us to build more trust in ourselves and our capabilities, showing that we have the knowledge and courage to do something like this successfully. This is just the beginning. Now that we've demonstrated what we can do for our organization, we can use it to drive even more innovation in the years to come."

Easy-to-use learning programs

This program has been a huge success.

We talk a lot about the needs of the new generation in terms of employment," said Wilco. They expect innovative ways to build and learn skills. This solution allows us to deliver more and allows us to significantly reduce our reliance on time and guidance capabilities."

According to him, trainers now spend 251 TP3T less time supervising each student. they can spend 951 TP3T of their training time planning and creating lessons that allow students to take ownership of their learning.

Internal data also showed that trainees mastered the material faster than the traditional approach.40% Vishov recalled that a 15-year-old trainee learned a highly complex maintenance procedure in just 30 minutes with the help of a self-study course.

Furrer said, "A lot of people are happy about this. We have received overwhelmingly positive comments from our learners, with those with dyslexia particularly emphasizing how easy and enjoyable the experience has been. One of the participants even sent us this feedback: 'Finally, I found the right educational program for me'. That's ultimately why we did this program in the first place: to make learning more interactive and easier for all."

A typical example is the switchboard operator training program. It's quite a difficult program that involves many steps," she said. Previously, all the steps were provided in paper form, including step-by-step written explanations and hands-on sessions. Now, trainees simply put on the HoloLens 2, use Guides, and they can see the three-dimensional instructions unfolding in front of their eyes. It's much more practical."

Laying the groundwork for an industrial meta-universe

As Ruger van Dileu looks ahead to the next phase of energy transformation and digital transformation efforts, he has no doubts about where Enexis is headed.

The CEO said, "The HoloLens 2 project has shown us the tangible benefits of mixed reality for organizations like Enexis. But this is just the beginning. We want to explore all that the industrial meta-universe has to offer and bring our HoloLens solution to the field so more of our employees can use it to work more effectively."

From maintenance to remote inspections, safety drills and more, the industrial meta-universe is showing fast-growing potential in the energy sector and is helping to combine field technology with data, artificial intelligence, digital twins, mixed reality and more.

He added: "In fact, we've given it a name: Enexaverse. in the coming years, we believe this will play a vital role in strengthening Enexis' position in the industry by demonstrating our commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology."

As Enexis continues to implement these solutions, Recreate's CTO's Tim Herman says Enexis employees are more receptive than ever to these solutions, and it's all thanks to the HoloLens 2 program.

Not many people knew what the Industrial Metaverse was before, so it was hard to see its value right away," he said. That's what I like about this project: it makes it tangible. It shows that the steps aren't that difficult, especially if you can see them in the HoloLens 2 headset. If you give people the opportunity to experience it, they're more likely to believe in it, utilize it, and use it as inspiration for whatever they want to achieve."