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XR Industry LeadersAuthor: ArborXR
The best enterprise XR advice from pioneers like Walmart, UPS, Amazon, and many more. Join ArborXR co-founders Brad Scoggin and Will Stackable on XR Industry Leaders, where they host conversations with cutting-edge VR app developers and Fortune 500 executives in business, health, and education to uncover the secrets of successfully scaling XR. In this podcast, VR & AR leaders help you make sense of the quickly changing XR landscape. Youll gain insights on everything from starting a pilot project in your organization, working with app developers, unexpected challenges with XR and how to solve them, and eventually scaling a wildly successful XR program at your organization. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Education, How To, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Smurfit WestRock: XR Truths From Scaling Across 500 Factories
Episode 41
Wednesday, 16 September, 2026
In this episode of the XR Industry Leaders Podcast, Brad Scoggin and Will Stackable sit down with Scott Burkey, Technology Fellow at Smurfit WestRock, for a return visit three years in the making. Scott oversees emerging and spatial computing technology across 500 global manufacturing facilities and co-hosts the XR at Work podcast, making him one of the most experienced enterprise XR practitioners working in industry today.Scott shares how his thinking has fundamentally shifted over nearly a decade at the company: from pushing XR as a solution looking for problems, to only bringing technology in when the underlying business is truly ready for it. The conversation covers where his program is now focused, including digital twins, reusable XR content assets, and on-demand reference materials for the shop floor over traditional VR training alone.He gets candid about what enterprise adoption actually looks like, including a years-long effort to bring a division along before the timing was finally right. And he makes the case for why "is our company ready for the technology?" is the more important question than "is the technology ready?" He closes with three practical pieces of advice for new XR practitioners and a people-first take on where the industry is heading next.Key Moments:Technology Fellow Across 500 Factories: Scott's Role and XR Mandate at Smurfit WestRock (01:06)Stop Putting XR on Top of a Mess: How Seven Years in Manufacturing Changed Scott's Approach (04:23)Create Once, Use Many Times: The Digital Twin Strategy Taking Shape in Manufacturing (06:53)Consumer Gear vs. Industrial Reality: An Honest Look at the Device Landscape on the Shop Floor (11:57)XR Use Cases in Packaging and Manufacturing: Training, Customer Collaboration, and Remote Assist (16:44)Is Your Company Actually Ready? The Pile of Gold Story on Enterprise Adoption (21:42)Three Things Every New XR Practitioner Needs to Know (27:41)AI, Device Advances, and the People-First Future Scott Is Most Excited About (32:59)"I don't put XR on top of a mess. If the business processes aren't well-defined and understood and optimized, we need to work on that first." - Scott Burkey"I've got this pile of gold, and people are just now realizing that they can buy a shovel. And it's like, okay, well, I'm glad you figured out there's a hardware store. Come get some of this good stuff." - Scott BurkeyAbout Scott Burkey:Scott Burkey is Technology Fellow at Smurfit WestRock, where he leads the exploration and application of spatial computing and emerging technology across 500 global manufacturing facilities. With nearly a decade in the role and a technology background spanning more than 30 years, Scott is one of the most experienced enterprise XR practitioners in industrial manufacturing. He co-hosts the XR at Work podcast, speaks at conferences globally, advises startups, and mentors the next generation of XR practitioners entering the field.Links and Resources:Scott Burkey on LinkedInXR at Work PodcastBrad Scoggin on LinkedInWill Stackable on LinkedIn
