NEW YORK & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a minority investment in Upskill, a leading provider of enterprise software for augmented reality (AR) devices in industrial settings. The investment, made through Accenture Ventures, will enhance Accenture’s ability to deploy large-scale AR projects that connect workers to crucial information that enables them to do their jobs with greater efficiency and accuracy. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
In addition, the two companies formed a strategic alliance under which Accenture will be a preferred systems integrator in Upskill’s partner program. Accenture will leverage the alliance with Upskill to enhance its AR and connected worker capabilities within the Accenture Industry X.0 and Accenture Extended Reality groups.
Accenture plans to integrate Upskill’s Skylight AR platform with the Accenture Digital Distribution Solution, a digital content platform that enables the distribution of any type of content to any device at scale. This integration is aimed at providing industrial workers with seamless access to AR and virtual reality, 3D models, artificial intelligence-based image recognition and analytics on wearable devices, tablets and smartphones, as well as access to tools such as drones and 3D printing capabilities, improving worker productivity, quality and safety.
“Extended reality solutions are eliminating the distance between people and information and, in the case of connected industrial workers, it can empower them to radically improve productivity and performance, while increasing safety,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology & innovation officer. “This investment and alliance with Upskill will advance our capabilities in this rapidly growing space, helping us deliver extended reality solutions that provide real business value by transforming the ways people work.”
Over the past few years, Accenture and Upskill have collaborated on numerous engagements for clients in the telecommunications, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and aerospace and defense industries, deploying AR solutions to connected workers around the world.
“In forming this strategic relationship with Accenture, we’ll be able to tap into their expertise implementing extended reality solutions at scale, bringing Skylight to a wider range of enterprise clients,” said Brian Ballard, co-founder and CEO, Upskill. “Accenture’s investment in Upskill is a testament to the significant opportunity AR presents for the industrial workforce, and the strength of our vision and our technology platform.”
The Accenture Technology Vision 2018 report identified extended reality as one of five key trends poised to have a significant impact on businesses over the next three years. According to the global companion survey, 80 percent of executives believe it will be important to leverage extended reality solutions to close the gap of physical distance when engaging with employees and customers.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 435,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
About Upskill
Upskill is the market leader in enterprise software for augmented reality devices in industrial settings. Trusted by some of the world's greatest companies, such as GE and The Boeing Company, Upskill’s technology platform, Skylight, enhances the capabilities of hands-on workers, making them more effective at what they do. With Skylight, Global 2000 companies can measurably and immediately improve business operations using AR across their organization, from the factory to the warehouse to the jobsite. To learn more, visit upskill.io.