Real-time remote collaborations with SMEs enable effective hardware and software installations. By Chris Kourliouros Mar 03, 2021 The impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing facilities has been significant. While offices across America have largely pivoted to online platforms for web-based collaborations between colleagues, the industrial sector has also had to contend with how to safely startup and commission process control systems in their facilities which have traditionally required timely on-site interventions and communications with product experts. Commissioning a process control system requires extensive collaborations between an on-site field team and their vendors whose engineering support teams have been largely working remotely. The challenge for vendors has been how to continue to support their customers with effective training and mentoring. According to ARC industry reports, human error is the primary cause of 42% of abnormal events and a secondary contributing cause in over 65% of the cases, so there can be no training or support shortcuts.