Beyond Proof of Concept: Accelerating Industrial XR with the Right Internal Buy-In
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At Industrial IMMERSIVE 2025, a packed session titled, “Eliminate POC Purgatory: Identify XR Committee Requirements” delivered a rapid-fire reality check on what it really takes to move XR from cool demo to core tool. Leading the charge were Jessica Beavers of HTC VIVE and Todd Daniel of Shiny Box Interactive. Both brought stories, strategy, and straight talk to a challenge many immersive tech leaders know all too well: getting XR out of the pilot phase and into everyday industrial workflows.
Why Isn’t XR in Every Organization?
That was Jessica Beavers’ opening question—not a defense of XR’s value, but a challenge to the room. With examples from manufacturing to nuclear plants, she pointed out that the tech is clearly working. GE Vernova does VR training 4X faster than with traditional methods. Bell Helicopter cut time-to-market from seven years to six months. And Ford, despite initial failure, ultimately reached a 70% drop in error rates and a 40x increase in task speed—results that couldn’t be ignored even by skeptical execs.
So what’s the holdup at other industrial organizations?
Step One: Stop Skipping Stakeholders
Todd Daniel emphasized what he's learned from more than 150 XR deployments since 2014: “If you’re not pulling in folks like IT, HR, or learning and development committees, you’re in a silo—creating XR content for a proof of concept that may go nowhere.”
Both speakers drove home that XR is a team sport. Leaving out key departments early (especially IT) can doom a project before it even begins.
Beavers told the story of a large manufacturer that didn’t have success with their first foray into XR. “There was a business unit that requested XR. They designed the content without having a lot of dialogue with those business units. So what they produced was not helpful, it wasn't valuable, and XR didn't take off.”
Hardware and Security: Choose for Today and Tomorrow
XR hardware isn't one-size-fits-all. Device selection should align with both current use cases and future-proofing needs. Training contractors? That’s one level of security. Using XR internally behind a firewall? That’s another.
Beavers recommends looking for a couple of features when choosing hardware:
Usability - Are the devices usable across different demographics?
Flexibility - Can the devices be used in multiple use cases or do you need one type of hardware for the classroom and another for in the field?
Integrations - How does the hardware work with your existing systems, and what new platforms will be required to deploy these devices?
Security - Do the devices offer the level of security your applications require?
HTC VIVE, she noted, prides itself on manufacturing its devices in owned factories in Taiwan and meeting 889 compliance, which allows for deployments in federal government applications, including special forces units.
And when it comes to connectivity, they’ve got it covered too. Beavers unveiled HTC’s Core box—a portable, 30-headset-ready private 5G network that sets up in 30 minutes and has already been deployed in ships, deserts, and facilities where Wi-Fi fails. Beavers jokes:, “It looks like a Mission Impossible briefcase.”
Don’t Get Locked Into Vendors
A frustrating trap when choosing XR vendors—both hardware and software—is vendor lock-in. Enterprises run into frustrating roadblocks when the vendors they chose at the beginning of a POC hit limitations, especially on integration. Beavers said, “You want to make sure your tech stack and your XR program works together and can fluctuate and move.”
Daniel warned against XR software partners that out-of-the-gate ignore your existing assets or insist on doing everything from scratch. He said, “If you can save 30% to 50% of upfront content creation costs by repurposing your existing assets, that’s a huge leg up for not only ROI, but also for getting your POCs up and running quickly.”
Beavers added that companies should look for “low-code/no-code” platforms and avoid software that’s incompatible with multiple XR devices or enterprise systems. She said, “Your enterprise systems may change. What is the API integration flexibility within that XR software to move through your enterprise fluidly?”
For example, if you create your XR content in one platform and then change to another software down the road, will that content carry over?
Bringing Execs Along for the Ride
Once your tech stack and use cases are aligned, it’s time to pitch up the chain. HTC VIVE supports companies with XR innovation days, where they fly in devices loaded with department-specific content to showcase the tech and get buy-in from execs across functions—from HR to manufacturing.
Beavers noted: “Imagine the pressure of pushing an XR program. You have to become an expert in all of these various systems. But the beauty of it is we’re now at a time where XR vendors are eager to share what they’ve learned.”
Future-Proofing for a New Generation
Closing the session, Daniel reminded the audience why XR adoption isn’t just a tech issue—it’s a workforce one. “The people entering your industry now learn very differently than we did 15 or 20 years ago.”
If your training still looks like PowerPoint, you’re missing the chance to engage a generation raised on immersive media. Daniel said, “Creating immersive XR content isn't just a buzzword. It actually creates far stickier training engagement for your employees. You need to speak to young employees as we're losing knowledge, as folks are retiring from our organizations, we need to transfer that. And PDFs and PowerPoints are not the way to do that.”
Beavers’ final note: “It’s not easy, but it’s a lot of fun.” The path beyond proof of concept may be bumpy, but with the right team, tech, and vision, it’s more than doable.
Playbook for Industrial XR POCs
Ready to go from XR exploration to full-scale adoption? Use this practical playbook inspired by this Industrial IMMERSIVE session to guide your team beyond proof of concept and into production.
Build a Cross-Functional XR Committee Early
Who to invite:
IT and cybersecurity teams
HR and Learning & Development
Operations leaders
Training program owners
Procurement and finance
These teams don’t just need to “sign off”—they need to be bought in and shape the strategy from day one.
Define Use Cases and Prioritize for Impact
Start with clear answers to:
What pain point are we solving?
Who is the end user?
Is this for external contractors or internal employees?
Does it require enterprise-level security?
Focus your POC on a real business need, not just “testing the tech.”
Choose Flexible, Secure Hardware
Select devices that:
Meet your current and future security needs
Support external and internal use cases
Play well with multiple software platforms
Look for hardware vendors with proven security testing in high-stakes areas like defense, banking, or energy.
Reuse What You Already Have
Before building content:
Inventory existing CAD files, training docs, and 3D assets
Choose vendors that can integrate or transform these into immersive content
Explore low-code/no-code platforms for internal teams to scale faster
Reusing assets has saved some enterprises 30-50% on development costs.
Engage Executive Stakeholders Creatively
Run an XR innovation day to bring stakeholders together with:
Department-specific demos
Use-case aligned content
Clear ROI metrics (safety improvements, time savings, cost reductions)
Don’t just tell, show. Put heads in headsets.
Stay Agile and Open
Avoid vendor lock-in for content, devices, or software
Use modular platforms with broad integration support
Plan for tech changes (they’re coming)
Think of your XR stack like building blocks, not concrete.
Document, Track, Repeat
Create internal documentation for:
Lessons learned
Security/IT requirements
Key contacts and responsibilities
Treat your XR rollout like a living system—track ROI, collect user feedback, and iterate often.
Put this playbook into motion, and your XR program won’t just survive—it will scale, succeed, and stick.
