Radwell International’s Blog

In the fast-paced industrial landscape, the emphasis on efficiency and productivity has never been greater. However, alongside these critical drivers, quality control remains a cornerstone of manufacturing and industrial processes. With the advent of automation, new techniques and tools are reshaping quality control paradigms, offering new ways to maintain high standards while boosting efficiency and reducing costs. Let's dive into the world of quality control in the era of automation.

AI has been a popular topic of conversation recently. Every industry, including the manufacturing industry, is asking themselves how they can use AI to their advantage. Some people are apprehensive about these advancements, but AI is taking the world by storm, and it is important be educated on how it will apply to you. In a recent chat for USA Manufacturing Hour, on Twitter, Jim Palmer from BuyDirectUSA.com led a discussion on the topic of AI.

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence algorithms that use existing content to create new content. In other words, it allows computers to abstract the underlying pattern, and then use that to generate similar content to what users input.This can have impact, both positive and negative, in business applications.

It’s human nature for us to be reluctant to any type of change. However, in the world of Manufacturing, it is becoming imperative that we do so. Below are some of the many reasons why companies in the Manufacturing Industry should adopt Digital Transformation tools and resources.

As the world progresses further in advancements in technological fields, the ways that we are being productive are changing. Changing for the better, in fact, since production with the use of robots is at its highest ever. With our recent struggle with the pandemic, the need for automation has never been higher. With this increase in AI and robot usage, we could see increased production in just about every industry, some even amid current labor shortages.

In the past, many high-level decisions in the manufacturing sector were made based upon intuition, human intelligence, experience, or gut feeling. Today, as technology advances, many decisions are made based on information from online databases, statistical analysis, experiments, and other sources. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a major driver for this change, with manufacturers using AI to improve manufacturing methods and productivity. There are several ways that AI helps the manufacturing industry.

What is AI?

AI, or artificial intelligence, is a science of programming computers to have the ability to make human decisions. AI basically simulates human intelligence. It can be used in a wide range of scenarios. The manufacturing industry uses AI to help with productivity and it can be used on tasks as small as talking to Siri on an iPhone.

Artificial intelligence can have a great impact on the modern warehouse in terms of safety, productivity, and accuracy. What is artificial intelligence and where does it fit in a warehouse environment? The definition of artificial intelligence, according to IBM, is “a field, which combines computer science and robust datasets, to enable problem-solving. It also encompasses sub-fields of machine learning and deep learning, which are frequently mentioned in conjunction with artificial intelligence. These disciplines are comprised of AI algorithms which seek to create expert systems which make predictions or classifications based on input data.” Ideally, AI is comprised of systems that think and act rationally.

Here are a few of the many AI functions that can have a positive effect on warehouse operations:

The factory of the future represents a transformation from traditional automation to fully connected and flexible systems using streams of data from connected operations. Production environments learn and adjust to new demands. Here is a framework of six key steps to guide you along that journey, regardless of a plant’s current maturity level.

How much is data worth to your business? According to a study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), manufacturing companies could save billions by combining their digital records. This article explains the opportunities sharing data creates for manufacturers and the obstacles they may encounter.

While big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the face of industry, BCG and WEF’s research has found they also could produce benefits worth $100 billion for businesses worldwide. This conclusion is based on a survey of 996 manufacturing managers by calculating the savings their various suggestions could bring to manufacturing companies.

Data sharing is considered a viable opportunity by manufacturing managers. Of those surveyed, 72% thought sharing data with other manufacturers would improve operations, while 47% believed optimized assets are the biggest benefit of sharing data more widely. How can this contribute toward billions in savings?