Episode Summary:

In this episode of the XR Industry Leaders Podcast, Brad Scoggin and Will Stackable sit down with Dave Raasakka of Somero Enterprises and Greg Meyers & Devin Weidinger from ForgeFX to explore how VR is transforming training for the concrete construction industry.

What began as a solution to scaling training for niche heavy equipment has evolved into a full-fledged VR program that’s enhancing safety, saving costs, and boosting trainee confidence. The conversation dives deep into how Somero equips operators to handle machines that weigh up to 20,000 pounds—without ever touching real concrete. From loading a screed machine onto a trailer to precision pouring with laser-guided equipment, trainees now fail safely in virtual environments before they ever touch the real thing.

Together, the teams unpack the technical side of building a high-fidelity VR experience, how multi-user sessions enable real-time feedback, and why starting small is key to launching a successful XR training program.

Key Moments:

The Hiring Bottleneck That Sparked Somero’s VR Program (02:26)
How Somero Integrated VR into a Real-World Training Pipeline (05:00)
Simulating High-Stakes Tasks Safely: The Trailer Loading Use Case (08:31)
How ForgeFX Identifies High-Impact Use Cases (10:30)
Why VR? Why not video or text? (15:24)
Creating Physical and Spatial Memory (18:16)
Building High-Fidelity, Accurate Digital Twins (20:16)
Using ArborXR to Manage, Deploy, and Iterate at Scale (23:59)
Advice for Launching Your XR Training Program (34:45)

“VR gives us what I call ‘safety without penalty.’ You can make a mistake and learn from it without damage or danger—and that’s a huge win in our world.”

– Dave Raasakka, Somero Enterprises

"I’ve got a one-word answer to “Why VR?”—failure. Failure is phenomenal in training. You can't excel at something unless you try and fail and figure out how to overcome it. In the real world, you can’t let someone drive a trailer off the edge to learn spatial awareness. But in VR, you can fail safely, learn from it, and improve.”

– Greg Meyers, ForgeFX

About the Guests:

Dave Raasakka

Dave is the Senior Vice President of Global Customer Support at Somero Enterprises, where he oversees XR training strategy. With 25+ years in mechanical engineering and support, Dave has led the adoption of VR to help train operators on complex screed equipment across the U.S.

Greg Meyers

Greg is the CEO of ForgeFX Simulations. With a background in immersive learning and enterprise simulations, he leads ForgeFX’s strategy to help manufacturers reduce risk and cost by creating simulation-based training.

Devin Weidinger

Devin is the Technical Director at ForgeFX. He brings a decade of VR experience, including projects like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty VR. At ForgeFX, he ensures training simulations are realistic, intuitive, and immersive.

Links & Resources:

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-weidinger-3a451467/

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-meyers-4402a514/

Connect with Devin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-weidinger/

Connect with Brad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-scoggin/

Connect with Will on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willstackable/

Somero Enterprises website: https://www.somero.com/

ForgeFX website: https://www.forgefx.com/

Somero & ForgeFX: How VR Is Solving the Labor Shortage in Construction