How to present (and ultimately sell) a maintenance service for heavy industry without using an actual machine.

 

A complex process, limited presentation options and a service that is difficult to present visually – it sounds like a problem faced by most companies providing specialised technical services to industry. Here’s how we used BellVR to help boost sales at Ecol – a company specialising in providing maintenance solutions for power stations and industrial plants.

How can a complex technological process be presented in a way that is engaging, easy to understand and accessible to multiple people at the same time? This was the challenge faced by Ecol. Does cleaning turbines with foam sound like the sort of thing you’d put in a presentation? Will explaining this process without showing real results attract a client, or will it just be an empty promise? And how can you even show the inside of a turbine or its components without dismantling the machine?

In response to these challenges, we have developed a Mixed Reality (MR – the overlay of 3D graphics onto the real world  – e.g. a 3D image displayed directly in your office that looks as though it is actually there) solution based on the BellVR platform, which allows participants to literally step inside the gas and steam turbine cleaning process and see how it works thanks to high-quality graphics.

The project involved the creation of two optimised 3D models and two interactive animation scenarios presented in a Mixed Reality environment using VR headsets. The whole system was designed to be used during sales meetings, technology presentations and training sessions. The result?

 

MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE

Participants put on VR/MR headsets, and the presenter places a virtual model of the turbine in the real-world space – for example, on a conference table or in an office. Thanks to Mixed Reality technology, users can move freely around the machine, observe its operation from various perspectives, follow and analyze the successive stages of the technological process.

The key feature of the solution was the ability to conduct presentations for multiple people simultaneously. A single presenter manages the flow of the scenario, triggers successive stages of the animation, and synchronizes the experience for all participants in real time.

VISUALIZATION OF THE PROBLEM AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS

Scenarios prepared for Ecol illustrate two key stages:

• the gradual fouling of gas and steam turbines,
• the chemical cleaning process carried out by Ecol using a specialized foam applied to the turbine interior.
• Ecol equipment used in the process and the end result.

The animations were created based on 3D models and reference materials provided by the client. Our task involved optimizing these assets, developing presentation scenarios, and producing high-quality marketing materials and visualizations optimized to run smoothly in an MR environment. Our team of graphic designers and programmers has extensive experience with industrial solutions—gained through long-standing partnerships with companies such as Famur S.A. (now Grenevia) and equipment manufacturers like Amiston and AutomatyBHP — so we knew the machinery and processes would be depicted with meticulous attention to detail and complete accuracy. While our previous work focused primarily on technical and operational machine processes, this project presented a unique challenge: realistically and fluidly visualizing a foam and its interaction with the surfaces being cleaned. We also had to design the foam to look as authentic as possible within the constraints of AR’s limited processing power.

An additional challenge was accurately replicating the appearance and internal operation of a complex turbine in a highly realistic manner.

BELLVR AS A PLATFORM FOR MR PRESENTATIONS

The project was implemented using our BellVR platform, which enables the organization and delivery of multi-user presentations and training sessions in VR and MR environments.

The system comprises:

• a web application for content and user management,
• a desktop application for the presenter,
• an MR application for participants using headsets,
• a communication server to synchronize the presentation flow,
• a storage system for data and training scenarios.

This allows the presenter to control the entire experience, trigger successive animations, and simultaneously discuss the process with participants located in the same space.

Why does Mixed Reality work well in industry?

Technology presentations very often rely on diagrams, static visualisations or videos. Mixed Reality allows a process to be shown on a 1:1 scale and enables participants to actively explore how the equipment works.

In the case of the project for Ecol, the following were particularly important:

• presenting a specialized technological process that takes place inside a machine and cannot be demonstrated in real life,
• making sales presentations more engaging – showing a technological process in an interesting and engaging way while still communicating its real content and value – it works,
• the ability to conduct a demonstration without access to the actual installation, eliminating the need to take the client’s machine out of operation or create a dedicated demonstration model, which would be costly and impractical,
• engaging multiple participants at the same time – capturing the attention and interest of key decision-makers simultaneously.

RESULTS

A Mixed Reality sales and presentation tool was created, combining education, technology demonstration, and modern industrial marketing. Thanks to BellVR, the turbine cleaning process can be showcased anywhere—from conference rooms to industry trade fairs—without the need to transport equipment or conduct demonstrations at actual installations.

Using this platform, Ecol has showcased its solution approximately ten times over a three-month period—including at events such as LUBMAT 2026 (Bilbao, Spain), the SIEMENS LGT Conference (Orlando, USA), RAIL BUSINESS DAYS (Ostrava, Czech Republic), and VGBE Steam Turbines (Dresden)—allowing prospective clients to literally step inside the turbine cleaning process.

This is a good example of how Mixed Reality can be used where traditional presentation methods are either unfeasible or no longer sufficient.

According to Ecol, the impact was evident in two ways: the booth attracted noticeably more attention, while sales conversations were more frequent and of higher quality ompared to similar trade fairs where the tool was not used.

As Jacek Sadowski, Director for International Business Development at Ecol, summarized: “BellVR is a tool that presents highly complex processes in a very simple way.”