Novo Nordisk shows how to implement Mixed Reality

For many big companies implementing mixed reality is a daunting task. The goal is for a seamless transition from one solution to another. This was what multinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk faced when they decided to utilize Mixed Reality to transform everyday operations. The biggest fear was if one thing goes wrong, they could potentially stop production for the whole company. As the world’s largest manufacturer of insulin and GLP-1 products, Novo Nordisk had to be strategic to ensure operations continues at peak production or increase productivity while adhering to strict GxP rules and regulations.

Novo Nordisk and Microsoft plan for this difficult transition was well thought out and required expert logistics. The transition to mixed reality technology and solutions started in a sandbox environment where Novo Nordisk would test how this technology would work, fine tune processes, and figure out the best way to scale. After testing in a controlled environment Novo Nordisk rolled out the technology on the frontline in phases to ensure one division was integrated before the transition to another.

Timing is everything which is something Novo Nordisk knows about. As the company looked towards the future, they realized their projected growth and how vital their production of insulin is. Half of the world supply of insulin is made by Novo Nordisk. 34 million people with diabetes depend on them and the last thing they want is supply chain shortage we have seen over the past couple of years. They felt covid was the perfect opportunity to utilize mixed reality to solve the challenges the virus presented.

Another way they showed the world how to implement mixed reality, is to overhaul how they train employees using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides. Their old model was the use of paper-based instruction manuals. This outdated method was traded in favor of a more sustainable model where users use augmented instructions instead. Based on this transition they can “onboard faster than we’ve done before, reduce process lead time and optimize and digitalize our manual production processes.”

In the future Novo Nordisk plans to explore different areas to implement and utilize mixed reality. They are armed with the recipe of how to implement the technology and solution from sandbox trials to companywide used.