Four out of every five construction companies (79%) reported difficulties in finding skilled workers last year, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). That impacted both project timelines and cost, preventing them from bidding on jobs.

While Somero’s S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed may help crews finish thousands of square feet of concrete every day, thanks to laser-guided controls, a 20-foot (6.1-metre) telescopic boom, and 360-degree machine rotation, the ongoing labour shortage in construction has made training operators to use it a challenge.

“In today’s labor market, one of the biggest risks for our customers is finding someone willing to show up every day, learn the craft and do the job at a high skill level,� says Somero Enterprises senior vice president, global customer support Dave Raasakka, who is based in Fort Myers, Fla.

Skill and craftsmanship are key in concrete levelling. Errors can prove expensive in terms of rework, wasted material and time.

“There is a lot happening on a typical jobsite when an S22 is being used,� says Raasakka. “You’ve got the machine itself plus concrete mixers lined up full of product and you have people working on the floor. It’s a high-stakes process, and concrete is a high-stakes product. It’s perishable. Once it’s poured out, every second and every action matters.�

‘Paradigm shift�

It’s with those challenges in mind that Somero worked with San Francisco-based ForgeFX Simulations to develop the S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed Virtual Training Simulator.

Somero’s S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed on the company’s stand during the 2025 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas. (Photo: Chad Elmore)

The collaboration came about after the OEM met the ForgeFX team at a World of Concrete show several years ago. This year, Somero and ForgeFX introduced the finished product and called it a “paradigm shift� in operator training, allowing end users to learn the machine without the risks associated with doing it in real life.

“Traditional training methods rely on learning in real-world scenarios, where mistakes can be costly, time consuming and hazardous,� says Greg Meyers, CEO and co-founder of ForgeFX Simulations. “This simulator transforms the training process by offering a risk-free environment where operators can refine their skills, gain confidence and master the intricacies of concrete levelling. By reducing errors, improving training efficiency and prioritizing safety, this tool delivers significant value to both trainees and the industry as a whole.�

Training in virtual reality enhances trainees� critical skills and muscle memory but cuts out expensive mistakes and eliminates the cost of fuel and material, according to Somero. They can practice avoiding over-pours, making quick adjustments under tight time constraints and handling the equipment, including how to back the machine off the trailer long before they have actually reached the jobsite.

Gaming software and a Meta headset

The simulator takes advantage of Meta’s Quest VR headset and Meta’s hand tracking capability to ensure screeding operations and boom adjustments mirror real-world dynamics.

“Back when we started developing simulators, if I wanted an immersive simulator that had hand tracking and positional tracking and all the features that this system has, we would have had to build a dome the size of a room and equip it with a lot of projectors,� said Meyers. “Now we can get all of that in a $300 device you can buy at Best Buy. It’s a very mobile form factor, too, so if Dave [Raasakka] needs to ship a simulator, he can have it sent overnight.�

Unity’s XR toolkit, long the platform creator of choice for video game developers, and the ForgeSIM simulation engine provide a base for the simulator software that allows realistic physics, equipment modelling and dynamic feedback systems.

Somero said the training simulator will help end-users as well as its own technicians get up to speed quickly on its S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed. (Illustration: ForgeFX)

“We use simulation-based training tools to combine the knowledge from Dave’s team and his subject matter experts to incorporate them into our simulator,� says Meyer. “Being in the business of developing simulators for 20 years, we have a lot of code that we can reuse across all of our customers. Then we harness the Unity Interaction Toolkit [XRITK], which is basically a set of component-based tools. What this allows us to do is create a digital replica of Somero equipment and also create virtual concrete that has the right viscosity.�

In the virtual environment, trainees begin with pre-start inspections and cockpit familiarisation. Then they move on to complex tasks such as screed head calibration and laser system setup, guided by tutorials, visual overlays and voice prompts.

Additional training simulator features include multi-user support and cloud-based performance tracking. Operators can run the simulator on their own in unguided/guided mode or in a trainer-led virtual environment. For example, Somero can use it to train operators in Boston and Barcelona on the same day without leaving the office.

Meanwhile, warnings sound for unsafe actions, such as extending the boom more than halfway without deploying stabilizers, which could cause the machine to tip. That means trainees get real-time feedback, which helps users understand the impact of their actions.

A screenshot from the training simulator ForgeFX Simulations created for Somero Enterprises� flagship product, the S-22EZ Advanced Laser Screed. (Illustration: ForgeFX)

Raasakka says the virtual training simulator will also be a valuable tool for Somero’s own employees. “We’re using the simulator to help build familiarity and reinforce terminology, so when customers call us for help then we’re all talking the same language. That’s very helpful just from a communication standpoint. From the Somero side, we have a very large group of technicians, and they travel all over the world to take care of our customers. If you start as a junior level technician or a trainer, it takes years to attain those skills.�

The simulator will be used at the Somero Concrete Institute in Fort Myers and will be sold worldwide through Somero for end-users and vocational programs.