Bell Textron Inc.
Manufacturing Technology Center Experience
THE CHALLENGE
Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, approached 900lbs to be their innovative experience designer in showcasing the capabilities of their new Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) to their customers. At that time, 900lbs and Bell had produced experiential solutions that showcase Bell’s expertise in designing aircraft. See our Mission Table Case Study for more details. The next evolution in communications was to showcase Bell’s innovation in manufacturing and maintaining future aircraft.
Together, we produced a cinematic video showing the future of what the MTC would bring as an innovative proving ground that will inform Bell’s future manufacturing facilities as well as an interactive touch table + immersive theater experience demonstrating Bell MTC’s innovation in Parts & Processes, Supply Chain, and Connected Factory.
Inspired by 900lbs’ past experiential installations with the Bell team, they sought an interactive immersive theater that could visualize the MTC’s part in manufacturing processes alongside demonstrations of Bell’s supply chain and learning processes for their Future Factories. In turn, this would support Bell’s communication for government contracts and ensure that Bell’s customers are fully educated and informed on their latest innovative methods.
Our biggest challenge, though, at the time we kicked off the project, was to pre-visualize space during the early stages of construction, without machinery yet in place. Together with Bell, we would need to embark with an agile mindset, gathering floor plans and content to visualize the MTC as it was being built.
THE EXPERIENCE
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CENTER (MTC) CINEMATIC VIDEO
The cinematic we created for Bell includes both external and internal customer videos.
The External Customer video shows the Manufacturing Technology center from a Bird’s Eye View, along with flythrough animations that stop at each section and manufacturing line of the factory. Our team needed to implement strong, stylized approaches to animating “Digital Twin” and “Digital Thread” storytelling concepts. Planned pause points explain equipment movement and procedures, while workers are seen interacting with futuristic looking, yet real, factory technology.
Meanwhile, the Internal Customer video showcases the evolving state of the facility and equipment, with a planned equipment and production timeline over the next few years, designating equipment.
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CENTER (MTC) INTERACTIVE
The MTC Interactive, installed at the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) and Advanced Vertical Lift Center (AVLC), incorporates an 8k ultra-wide touch table, 3x 85” Samsung displays, and a 5.1 Surround Sound System to immerse guests in a full story arc - MTC Introduction, Parts & Processes, Supply Chain, Connected Factory, and MTC outro.
- MTC Intro: This 60 second video demonstrates Bell’s strategy with the MTC.
- Parts & Processes: Guests can interact with aircraft parts like “hockey pucks” to visualize the entire factory and observe the advanced parts and processes that will enhance Bell’s manufacturing for future aircraft
- Supply Chain: Guests observe a dynamic, futuristic supplier map dashboard inside their command center HQ that visualizes how Bell’s command center adapts their strategic sourcing of supplies based on different risks - including hypothetical environmental risks like wildfires.
- Connected Factory: Guests learn about upcoming advances in operator familiarization and training, adaptive machining processes, learning routines that will secure learnings for future factories, as well as cloud-based maintenance support - whether it is Hololens AR sequences, or high-tech AI data, this story showcases how the MTC is an impressive feat of innovation.
THE RESULTS
The MTC interactive experience debuted at the MTC’s Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Here is a quick synopsis from the Ribbon Cutting event:
The MTC is an innovative proving ground where Bell plans to test and refine technologies and processes and demonstrate readiness and ability to successfully build and support Future Vertical Lift aircraft and other new products. It offers a digitally connected space for collaboration between Bell teams in an environment that promotes smart risk taking. New systems will be tested and vetted for production suitability before being introduced to Bell’s future factories.
Reference: https://news.bellflight.com/en-US/197775-bell-holds-ribbon-cutting-ceremony-for-manufacturing-technology-center
Together, we were able to show how Bell is proactively testing new methods and processes that will reduce costs and overhead, decrease manufacturing times and maintenance, increase precision, and ultimately provide for a safe and reliable product for our warfighters.
The manufacturing innovation group, sales group, and military group were thrilled to have a dynamic story-telling tool. This eye-catching and informative interactive experience was utilized as a communication tool to showcase Bell’s innovation in manufacturing.
We are proud of the role this project has played in communicating future manufacturing capabilities the MTC is developing, and we look forward to the continued collaboration and storytelling together.
ADDITIONAL READING
