Manufacturing explainer videos make equipment, production and industrial methods easier to follow. These examples cover setup, steel production, digital twins, demonstrations and machinery safety.
By
Larry Mutenda
| What are the best manufacturing explainer video examples? Strong manufacturing explainer video examples include CTN for setup instructions, ArcelorMittal Belgium for a production process, Siemens for factory simulation, Brady for a product explainer, Festo for a machine demonstration and Workplace Safety North for safety training. |
Manufacturing explainer videos are short videos that show how machines, products and production processes work. Much of the important detail is hidden inside equipment or spread along a production line. Animation and cutaways can make those parts visible.
This article looks at six explainer video examples for manufacturing from CTN, ArcelorMittal Belgium, Siemens, Brady, Festo and Workplace Safety North. For each one, I describe what the video covers, who it speaks to and what other manufacturers can take from it. After the examples, I cover cutaways and exploded views and replacing manuals with video. Then I explain how to plan your own manufacturing explainer video.
Industrial videos range from exact instructions to broad accounts of production. The distinction determines whether a person needs component-level sequence, application context or a general picture of how a process works.
Here is a quick overview of the six videos in this article, grouped by how each company uses the video. The table links to each example below.
We picked videos that each show a different job a manufacturing explainer can do: setup instructions, a production process, a technology explainer, a product explainer, a demonstration and safety training.
The lead example, CTN, and the Brady example come from the Creamy Animation video library. The other four videos are published on each company’s own YouTube channel and were publicly available when we checked them in October 2026. We describe each video from its own content and description, and we credit any figures to the company that published them.
| # | Company | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CTN | Lead example: setup instructions |
| 2 | ArcelorMittal Belgium | Production process |
| 3 | Siemens | Technology explainer |
| 4 | Brady | Product explainer |
| 5 | Festo | Trade show / product demo |
| 6 | Workplace Safety North | Safety training |
The critical part may be hidden inside the equipment or separated across a production line. CTN’s eCABIN guide addresses an ordered setup task. A public account of steelmaking or a factory simulation needs a different view of the work.
CTN’s eCABIN setup guide appears in the Creamy Animation video library.
CTN’s eCABIN video is a step-by-step unboxing and setup guide. The video begins with removing a crate wall and using it as a ramp. It then covers lifting off the roof and panels and rolling the cabin down. This establishes an instructional purpose rather than a general product introduction.
The video continues with opening the electrical cabinet and unplugging and routing numbered wires. It includes a limit of 10 to 20 centimetres when separating modules for transport. Later steps cover reassembly, mounting three monitors and fitting the floor trim and step. These details describe the video. They are not a substitute for CTN’s complete instructions.
The intended audience is someone responsible for setting up the unit. The runtime is 2:14 and the format is 3D animation. A video like this could accompany the product’s maintained setup documentation or support a supervised installation process.
The production lesson is to preserve order and give important limits a clear place in the sequence. A setup video should not force viewers to infer how components relate. Other manufacturers can use the same discipline when briefing animation. Have the responsible technical team check the sequence, component names and warnings together. Keep the approved written instructions available and aligned with the version shown.
A customer recognizes steel in finished products without understanding the production work behind those applications. A plant overview can connect manufacturing with the sectors it serves. The account needs more than exterior footage or a list of industrial customers.
ArcelorMittal Belgium covers steel production for automotive, energy, construction and packaging. Without a connected production account, the customer can see an output while remaining unfamiliar with the work that produces it.
The eleven-minute scope differs from CTN’s setup sequence. One video introduces a wider manufacturing operation and its applications. The other supports a specific equipment task. Neither format should be treated as a replacement for the other’s content.
ArcelorMittal Belgium covers steel production for automotive, energy, construction and packaging. The 11:11 video gives a broad industrial subject more room than a short product introduction. Manufacturers can learn from connecting production with its application context when speaking beyond the plant team.
An engineering team wants to test a production process before committing to a physical factory configuration. The idea of a digital twin needs to connect with that decision. An abstract technology label does not establish what engineers can test.
Siemens describes digital twins that behave like real factories so processes can be tested before building. Without that connection, a technology introduction may sound detached from design work and manufacturing commitments.
This is different from the geometry needed for CTN’s assembly task. The subject is a model used to evaluate processes before construction. Industrial content becomes more concrete when the new technology is introduced through the engineering decision it serves.
Siemens describes digital twins that behave like real factories and let engineers test processes before building. The video speaks to people evaluating virtual simulation in factory design. The lesson is to introduce a technical concept through the decision it supports rather than the label alone.
Brady’s ActiveID video explains a label system for data centre cables. It opens with the risk of pulling the wrong cable during decommissioning, which can cause downtime.
It then follows the product in order. Labels are printed with cable run information and an electronic identity. Technicians later read them with a handheld NFC pen linked to cable management software. The lesson for manufacturers is to follow the product from production to the moment it is used in the field.
Festo’s anniversary video uses a Rube Goldberg-style machine to show the history of automation. It runs 8:20 and marks the company’s centenary. The takeaway: an extended capability demonstration is a different communication form from a short operating guide.
A worker learning machinery safety needs to connect equipment safeguards with training and personal protection. A message that addresses only one part can leave the wider safety topic fragmented. A short training introduction can name the main areas together.
Workplace Safety North organizes its animation around guarding, training and supervision, and PPE. A shared starting point keeps machinery safety from looking like isolated rules. It presents them as related responsibilities.
The video is an introduction to the topic rather than the full basis for performing a particular task. CTN’s setup example demonstrates why equipment-specific directions also matter. General training and exact product instructions occupy different parts of industrial learning.
Workplace Safety North’s animation covers machine guarding, training and supervision, and PPE. It addresses workers learning the main areas of safe machinery use. For training teams, the lesson is to organize an introductory safety message around a small set of related responsibilities.
A cutaway can expose a relationship hidden by the outer surface. An exploded view can separate components so their arrangement is easier to understand. Choose the treatment according to the question. More detail is not automatically clearer.
I ask the technical reviewer which parts must remain visible and which can be simplified. Preserve any relationship that affects the meaning of the video. Make it clear when movement or spacing has been altered for illustration.
Decide the viewing angle from the task. A perspective that looks impressive may hide the connection the instruction needs to describe. Use labels or a simplified surrounding area when they help the equipment user keep track of the relevant component.
For an assembly sequence, maintain orientation between steps. If the model rotates, give the audience a clear reference before the next action begins. The technical review should include these transitions. Accuracy concerns more than the shape of the parts. It also concerns whether the video lets the intended viewer understand their relationship and the approved order of work.
For CTN’s setup subject, the relationship between numbered wires, separated modules and reassembly carries instructional meaning. A review should check whether the same component remains recognizable as the camera or model changes. The concern is different in the Siemens factory-simulation example, where the model represents a process being tested before construction. Both can use spatial imagery, but only the approved task determines which details must remain literal.
Use video to support a task when motion or sequence is difficult to express in a static page. Keep written instructions available for checking specifications, warnings and individual steps. The two formats can serve different needs.
CTN’s message contains order-dependent actions and a specific separation limit. That is a reason to maintain the source instructions alongside the video. A viewer should not have to rely on memory from a single playback for a consequential setup detail.
A written reference is easier to scan for a specific value. Video is often better suited to showing movement and sequence. Plan the two resources around those strengths. Keep naming and numbering consistent so a viewer can move between them without translating the terminology.
Do not rely on the video’s runtime to decide whether it is complete. A short sequence may still need a prerequisite or warning. A longer sequence may contain unnecessary repetition. Ask the technical owner to check the task boundary and ask a representative user where they would need to pause or look for more information.
Choose exact instruction, engineering evaluation or broad production education. CTN’s setup sequence and Festo’s anniversary demonstration serve very different purposes. Their technical subject matter does not give them the same training responsibility.
Identify whether people install, operate, design or buy equipment. A digital twin discussion can assume engineering context. A public steelmaking resource needs a broader starting point and less task-specific direction.
Review component names, sequence and warnings together for instructional work. For simulation content, connect the model with the design decision it supports. Keep demonstrations distinct from directions people are expected to follow.
Related reading: explainer videos guide.
Preserve orientation across assembly steps. Use cutaways when the important relationship is hidden. Check whether exaggerated spacing or motion could be mistaken for an instruction rather than an illustration of the parts.
Related reading: explainer video cost.
Keep product instructions aligned with the correct equipment version. Date trade-show demonstrations and maintain the accompanying context. General safety introductions should remain connected with the approved procedures and training required for actual work.
Use 3D when geometry, assembly or hidden relationships are central to the video. A 2D process diagram may be enough for a sequence or flow. Choose the least complex treatment that communicates the necessary information accurately.
Existing CAD can be a starting point if it is available, appropriate to use and suitable for production. It may need simplification or preparation. Confirm version accuracy and identify sensitive or irrelevant detail before using it in a public video.
Define the start and finish, then select the stages needed for the audience’s question. Explain what changes at each stage. Keep a general overview separate from operating instructions that require more detailed technical review.
Include the people responsible for the equipment, procedure and safety information. Review the narration and visuals together. Confirm that the video matches the correct product version and that supporting instructions remain accessible.
A product explainer often works in about two minutes. Setup and safety videos can run longer because the viewer needs to follow each step.
Yes. Show where the product fits in the customer’s work. Brady follows its labels from the printer to the technician in the data centre.
It is usually better to separate them. A buyer wants the benefit and how it fits existing systems. An operator needs exact steps and safety points.
They use them at trade shows, on product pages, in sales meetings and in training. Plan each version for the setting, since a trade-show screen often plays without sound.
Show the relationship or sequence the equipment user needs to understand. A focused manufacturing explainer makes hidden details clearer while keeping technical accuracy central to the production.
Larry is the founder and Chief Storyteller at Creamy Animation, founded in 2009. He leads a team that creates story-driven videos for businesses and nonprofits. 15+ years in video strategy and production, specializing in SaaS, B2B, and nonprofit storytelling. A marketer, designer, and animator, Larry has overseen the production of more than 1,500 videos for Fujitsu, Logitech, Warner Brothers, NFL, Blockdaemon, Astronomer, Canonical, and 370+ others.
For Larry, God is first, and everything else is a blessing that comes from serving Him. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife and three kids, playing the piano, or pursuing his filmmaking side hustle.
