A food-processing manufacturer in Canada this year experienced production-stopping breakdowns of a bagging machine made in Germany and an X-ray machine made in Australia. Without augmented reality (AR) technology, repairs would have taken weeks, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost production time. Instead, in each case, the subject-matter experts at the OEMs—linked to the front-line workers via computer, hands-free video tech and mixed-reality glasses—were able to help on-site technicians identify the problem and bring the equipment back on line within 30 minutes, said Kognitiv Spark CEO Yan Simard.