Varjo Opens Secure Manufacturing Facility in Finland to Meet Growing Demand from Defense Sector
Helsinki, Finland – August 28, 2024 – Varjo, the global leader in industrial virtual and mixed reality solutions, has opened a new secure manufacturing facility in the greater Helsinki region in Finland. This expansion will enable Varjo to meet the increasing demand for its high-resolution XR solutions in defense training and simulation, with a projected total addressable market (TAM) in training simulations alone expected to reach approximately $900 million by 2027.
The new secure manufacturing facility, with full on-site staff, features secure production and warehouse areas, a product and process development area, including reliability testing, and an audio development section.
This milestone is driven by the growing demand from Varjo’s defense customers and the company’s close collaboration with Cole Engineering Services Inc. (CESI), the key contractor for the U.S. Army’s Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) program. Varjo was chosen as the XR technology provider for the RVCT Air program in 2023, enabling a portable training capability for three different helicopters: Apache, Chinook, and Blackhawk.
Eric Carr, Program Director for RVCT at CESI, emphasized the importance of Varjo’s technology in enhancing defense training simulations. “Varjo was selected for the RVCT program because of its ability to provide a mixed reality solution with high-resolution visuals, meeting the demanding requirements of the program. The Varjo XR-4 Secure Edition headsets offer high-resolution imagery for both mixed reality and synthetic environments, and their TAA-compliant manufacturing process makes them ideal for high-security settings.”
Major Brandon Dotson, Assistant Product Manager for the RVCT, highlighted the critical role of XR and VR in military training. “The RVCT uses XR and VR to simulate scenarios like driving tanks and flying helicopters, providing an immersive experience that is crucial for effective training. The whole point of RVCT is to make training easier and accessible to Soldiers at the lowest echelon. Historically, training required large facilities and dedicated teams of contractors, but now we’re pushing that capability down to the Soldier, making it as easy and intuitive as possible to execute training.”
“Varjo’s technology plays a vital role within the U.S. Army’s synthetic training program, providing soldiers with a fully immersive, highly realistic training environment where they can interact with physical controls in real-time. The close partnership between Varjo and CESI has been instrumental in ramping up our new secure manufacturing capability. Our new facility ensures that Varjo can meet the high-security requirements of our governmental customers while supporting the rapid growth of XR demand in the defense sector,” said Timo Toikkanen, Varjo CEO.
Varjo’s commitment to providing the most advanced XR technology for emerging use cases such as training Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators is reinforced by this new facility. By establishing a secure manufacturing base, Varjo is well-positioned to support the evolving needs of defense personnel, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges of modern combat.
For more information:
press@varjo.com
