Five years ago, Robert Ray thought using virtual reality (VR) to train specialized technicians on nylon spinning machines would be a waste of time.

“This isn’t going to work,” he thought.

But these days, Robert’s career is focused on implementing and finding valuable new applications for VR training and other extended reality (XR) technologies, such as augmented reality, inside Koch companies' manufacturing facilities.

Robert was introduced to VR training when he was a spinning technician trainer for Koch subsidiary INVISTA, one of the world’s major nylon producers.

To Robert, going from actual to virtual seemed unrealistic. He believed the technology was too complicated for people to learn — much less the spinning equipment — in a timely manner. He also thought that not having the opportunity to work directly with the machines would mean new hires would struggle to grasp the nuances of spinning.

But that was all before he had a chance to experience the technology himself.

“The first time they showed us what it’s like, I was just blown away,” he says. “I thought, ‘This literally feels like I’m on the floor running a spinning machine.’”

Robert was excited by the immersive experience of the VR training program and recognized its potential benefits for himself and his colleagues, including shorter training times, less waste and safer training conditions inside a training room versus on the manufacturing floor. With his expertise as a technician and trainer, he soon began not just using the new VR training regimen, but helping to develop it.

Robert was transforming his career right along with the training program. He now works as an innovation specialist and has become XR’s biggest advocate inside INVISTA Camden — looking for ways to integrate new technologies so that training can occur anywhere there’s a mobile device. 

His natural aptitude for problem-solving helps him teach others to enhance and build their skills while overcoming challenges. He works to help his fellow employees turn fear of new technology into opportunities to evolve their own roles.

“Change is difficult. It’s scary!” Robert says. “But change is a part of growth. If you stay the same, you’re going to stagnate and you’re going to get left behind.”     

Robert’s “aha” moment with VR led to other revelations about what the new technology could do outside the spinning room, across INVISTA and for other Koch companies. Robert says it has started a domino effect of other INVISTA employees exploring how virtual technology can help them transform their own jobs in valuable ways. He predicts that soon, more XR tools will be used by technical and process engineers, as well as in capital projects.

“People wonder, ‘How do I make a change? How do I also implement transformation or how do I innovate?’” he says. “I try to help and then it starts a ripple effect.”

Robert advises coworkers to stop holding themselves back.

“Stop thinking, ‘I may not be the right person to do this,’” he says. “Who better knows that process than you, the person doing that process?”

He also urges colleagues to embrace new technologies, to see them as “tools in our toolbox” that will help them be more effective and efficient in their jobs. Having once been reluctant to step into the unknown, Robert understands his coworkers’ hesitation. But while the journey to self-actualize will often be challenging, it will always be worth the trip, he says.    

Robert happily credits his colleagues, like his supervisor Daphne Fulmer, for encouraging and supporting his transformation.

He says through this process they’ve built a strong relationship. She played a key role in his transformation by taking the time to talk with him and change his mentality from focusing on what his tasks as a trainer currently were, to helping him open his mind to what they could be.

“We need to have hard conversations, but we also need to have conversations about what really excites us,” Daphne says. “It all boils down to, 'Do my employees know me and do I know them?’”

From someone who once wondered how he could make real change in his role, Robert has evolved to a leader in applying technology to discover new ways to do things. Rather than turn away from the unknown, he now leans into new challenges. His willingness to be open about his fears also has made him a champion for others, helping them, too, discover how to not only survive but thrive in a constantly changing environment.

Koch Industries

Koch Industries

Creating value. Transforming life.

Our life’s work is to help people improve their lives by making and innovating products and services our customers value. Our focus is on delivering mutual benefit: Win-win outcomes that make life better for customers and employees alike.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries is one of the largest private companies in America. A diverse set of businesses and industries across the world, we work together to keep improving and exploring new ways to make life even better.

Koch companies are involved in manufacturing, agriculture, pulp and paper, packaging, consumer products, building materials, glass, automotive components, refining, renewable energy, chemicals and polymers, electronics, enterprise software, data analytics, medical products, engineered technology, project services, recycling, supply chain and logistics, global commodities trading, and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $150 billion in growth and improvements. With a presence in about 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 120,000 people worldwide, with about half of those in the United States.

Stewardship in all we do.

Our approach to Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) is different than most. We believe in people and seek a system of equal rights and mutual benefit where individuals succeed by helping others succeed – and where people are empowered to improve their lives and their communities. It’s why we focus on empowering individuals to improve their lives and communities through bottom-up solutions rather than top-down imperatives.

Environmental Stewardship

Consuming fewer resources, minimizing waste and constantly innovating to improve our manufacturing processes and performance is essential to the way we do business – benefiting our customers, employees, investors, communities and planet.

Five environmental stewardship priorities.

With more than 300 manufacturing sites across the United States – and about 100 more globally – we’re one of America’s largest manufacturers. Every day, across those sites, we strive to create more value, using fewer resources than the day before. We do it through constant improvement and innovation – both in the products we make and how we make them, and by managing our resources in a way that benefits our customers, employees, partners, community members and society.

• Innovation
• Energy Efficiency
• Air Quality
• Water
• Responsible Resource Management

Social Stewardship

Philanthropy. Health and safety. Diversity and inclusion. Meaningful, rewarding careers and community outreach. These are just some of the vital priorities of social stewardship that empower each of our employees to develop, contribute, self-actualize and create value for the world while supporting communities in which we live.

Governance

Our management framework, Principle Based Management™, is based on proven principles of human progress and a deep appreciation for the dignity of every individual. Our private ownership, shared Vision, Values, compliance standards and oversight all help us focus on long-term value creation.

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