Total Deploys RealWear Headsets Using Microsoft Teams for U.S. Plant Operators

Clipped on to a hard hat, the device by RealWear runs voice-enabled Microsoft Teams and empowers plant workers to use both hands for complex work procedures while remotely communicating in real time with subject matter experts wherever they are in the world.

Connecting the industrial headset to Total's technical and engineering experts enables operators at the La Porte site - the largest polypropylene plant in North America - to diagnose operation or maintenance issues and provide solutions in real time. The use of this technology speeds up and improves technical assistance to a site such as La Porte, which produces pellets used to manufacture critical healthcare products such as masks and gowns. It also enhances teams' responsiveness in a safe manner in case of an unplanned event.

Connecting our field operators to Total's experts and vendors, down the street or on the other side of the world, is particularly topical at a time when travelling is restricted, says Eric Duchesne, Senior Vice President Manufacturing and Project Division, Total Refining and Chemicals.

But above all, the launch of Microsoft Teams on RealWear at Total's La Porte site in Texas is another step in our industrial digital transformation. It makes Total's operations safer and more efficient by executing better decisions faster. It also allows us to improve our operational excellence over the long run, and create the petrochemicals plant of tomorrow.
With its high-resolution camera and noise cancellation, RealWear is able to put eyes on the job from anywhere in the world, saving travel costs while keeping everybody safely at a distance, said Sanjay Jhawar, Co-founder and President, RealWear. The ability for an expert to connect to the headset remotely, view the scene on live video, examine small details captured in still photos, and speak directly with the operator enables remote teams to assess the situation as it unfolds as though they were actually on the ground themselves.
Total's rapid deployment of Microsoft Teams on RealWear demonstrates the unlimited possibilities of remote collaboration with RealWear and Microsoft during this 'new normal,' said Mayank Verma, Global Director Firstline Device Product Marketing, Microsoft 365. The solution is fully integrated, and has quickly become a compelling solution for our joint customers - many of whom require uptime and productivity even when logistical challenges seem insurmountable. Now for the first time at Total, experts can quickly share screens with the firstline, and the firstline can snap photos and share issues with knowledge workers no matter where they are. It's possible to bring an entire plant back online, by making a single hands-free call.