Facilitate Customer Story

How ERMCO Accelerates Workforce Readiness Through Immersive Simulation Training

Electric Research and Manufacturing Cooperative, Inc. (ERMCO) is a leading North American manufacturer of distribution transformers and power solutions serving the utility, renewable energy, commercial, and industrial markets. Headquartered in Dyersburg, Tennessee, the company operates a growing network of manufacturing facilities and affiliated businesses across North America.

THE CHALLENGE

As ERMCO expands transformer manufacturing, scaling operations requires overcoming complex product variations and extended learning curves. Relying on live production environments for training creates major operational bottlenecks:

High Operational Impact

SME bandwidth tied up in training, reducing active line output.

Increased Risk & Cost

On-the-job mistakes led to safety risks, scrap, and expensive rework.

Inconsistent Onboarding

Heavily dependent on tribal knowledge rather than standardized processes.

THE SOLUTION

ERMCO partnered with Facilitate to build interactive, CAD-based micro-simulations, allowing operators to master complex assembly workflows before touching the factory floor.

Risk-Free Practice

Multi-platform access (VR, tablet, desktop) for repeatable hands-on learning.

Pre-Deployment Training

Developed simulations before physical equipment arrived on-site.

Standardized Learning

Structured workflows with real-time feedback and built-in process validation.

EARLY RESULTS

Initial results indicate that immersive simulation is beginning to address several longstanding workforce training challenges.

Accelerated Competency

Speeds up onboarding and cuts time-to-proficiency from months to weeks through hands-on practice—even before physical equipment arrives.

Minimized Operational Downtime

Enables comprehensive training without pausing or disrupting live production lines.

Reduced Scrap & Costly Rework

Allows operators to safely make and correct mistakes in simulation rather than on active production units.

Enhanced Safety & Confidence

Builds operator readiness and process accuracy before staff step into live production environments.

Prior to implementing Facilitate, one of the most significant bottlenecks was time to competency, driven by the complexity and variability of transformer builds. Each unit can have numerous configurations, and existing documentation was often outdated or lacked a clear, standardized, step-by-step structure.

Following the successful deployment of the first micro-simulation (through the Facilitate guided pilot program), efforts are now focused on scaling and integration across the organization as a core enterprise capability—not just a training solution. This evolution positions simulation as a critical enabler of operational readiness, workforce scalability, and consistent execution across all locations.

Joyce Adams

Enterprise & Component Training Manager, ERMCO

Key Success Factors

CAD-TO-SIMULATION PIPELINE

With our intuitive drag-and-drop platform, anyone on your team can create immersive VR experiences—no coding, developers, or special expertise needed. Turn your subject matter experts into content creators and bring their knowledge to life.

HARDWARE-AGNOSTIC DELIVERY

Flexible access to immersive training simulations via VR headsets or shop-floor tablets.

REPEATABLE & SCALABLE FRAMEWORK

The creation of a repeatable blueprint allowed ERMCO to rapidly build simulations for new, complex assembly lines.

GUIDED PILOT TO ENTERPRISE SCALE

Hands-on support from Facilitate's guided pilot helped ERMCO’s L&D team quickly launch a live training module, prove ROI, and earn leadership support for an enterprise plan.

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