Zoetis / Pfizer Animal Health, Virtual Walking the Pens

Zoetis /Pfizer Animal Health, Virtual Walking the Pens is an interactive 3D training simulation that allows Zoetis / Pfizer customers to conduct a virtual, barn-walkthrough of a wean-to-finish swine farm. The training simulation software requires users to identify and treat illnesses in the barn, as well as respond and troubleshoot other situations that commonly arise in this type of environment, with both facilities management and livestock-related scenarios.

Virtual Pork Production Simulation

Pfizer Incorporated is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, developing medications for human and veterinary needs. Committed to helping people improve their health, they are dedicated to developing new, safe medicines to prevent and treat the world’s most serious diseases. Pfizer is organized into four divisions: Human Health, Consumer Healthcare, Animal Health, and Corporate Groups.

Virtual Walking the Pens, virtual livestock production training simulator.

Pork Production Training Simulation

Pfizer Animal Health partnered with Carthage Veterinary Services and ForgeFX to develop the Pfizer Virtual Pork Production Simulation, named Virtual Walking the Pens. The dedication that Pfizer has to the health and wellness of animals, and a commitment to research combine to help protect the health of farm animals and the productivity of livestock. The training and education taught by the simulator allows pork producers to help pigs stay healthy, resulting in a more profitable operation. This interactive 3D simulation allows users to work in a virtual farm, diagnosing and treating pigs at the first sign of disease, which is the key to a successful pork production business.

Pork production simulator trains producers how to spot illness in the barn.

Virtual Barn-Walkthrough

This custom interactive 3D simulation allows Pfizer customers to do a virtual barn-walkthrough of a wean-to-finish farm, identifying and treating sicknesses in the barn. Once a player has identified issues they must take the appropriate action to correct the problem, or experience the consequences in the barn and the effect on their bottom line. The simulation allows the user to experience many different scenarios within the virtual environment, similar to those that pork producers deal with on a daily basis in the real world. Ranging from pigs with neurological problems, to clogged waterers and feeders, to Mulberry heart disease, the simulation provides a virtual barn for the users to work in, spotting and treating sick pigs. The user’s score, determined by the level of profitability attained by the virtual farm, is tracked by the simulation and delivered at the conclusion of a session, along with assessments and recommendations for a higher level of efficiency.

Simulation-based barn management software teaches best-practice operation techniques.

Quickly Identify and Treat Illnesses

Knowing how to quickly identify and treat illnesses is crucial to running a profitable livestock farm. This 3D simulation provides a risk-free environment for farmers to experience the potential pitfalls of pork production and avoid them in the future when real-world situations confront them. Farmers are able to experiment with different barn management techniques to find the approach that works best, something that is easy to do in a simulation, but not possible or practical in the real-world. Risks to livestock, personnel, and material consumption are removed in the simulation, making it a valuable tool for teaching and training.

Simulation-based livestock management training.

Interactive 3D Simulations Increase Profits

Delivering the application as a 3D simulation allows users to interact with the barn, pigs, and treatment equipment in an interactive virtual environment. The simulation lets users spend time in a barn with pigs that demonstrate realistic behavioral models, displaying medical conditions ranging from swollen joints, to down and paddling, to sudden death. Using an immersive 3D simulation, as an educational tool, engages users in the learning process so that knowledge gained in a virtual world is transferred to the real-world. The Pfizer virtual pork production simulation leads to healthier livestock and a more predictable production schedule, which translates into a more consistent and profitable bottom line.

Learning to increase barn revenue through simulation-based training.

Simulators Promote Training and Education

Combining deep content expert knowledge with proven interactivity models, Pfizer Animal Health, Carthage Veterinary Services, and ForgeFX developed this 3D simulation that allows users to quickly grasp the controls and get to work in a virtual barn. The simulated barn is fully functional, including interactive water medicators, curtain controllers, fans, thermostats, feeders, mats, lights, and of course pigs. The simulation promotes education and improved health of all the animals in the operation.

Simulator Image Gallery

A collection of screenshots and images of the simulator.

Contact ForgeFX Training Simulations

If you’re charged with training people to operate agriculture or farming production facilities, you’re aware of the financial and safety challenges associated with conducting training with real-world livestock and machinery. Interactive 3D simulations immerse users in a virtual environment that provides a safe and cost effective training environment. For an assessment of needs that are specific to your project, please contact us so we can review your requirements and put forward a project plan, including a technology recommendation.