AI in the industry: The smart future of manufacturing
AI in the industry: The smart future of manufacturing
The world of manufacturing is currently undergoing a revolution, driven by the power of artificial intelligence (AI). In the podcast episode "Production-intelligence: artificial intelligence in everyday industrial processes", Wouter De Nijs and Andrei Bartic of Flanders Make explain why the breakthrough of AI in the manufacturing industry is proceeding more slowly than in consumer-oriented industries and what impact the deployment of AI will have on the production process of the future.
When asked why the implementation of AI in the manufacturing industry is more difficult, Wouter replied, "AI needs lots of examples to be trained properly, we need mistakes and they don't happen often enough". AI is known to be hungry for data to learn and improve, but in the manufacturing environment, finding abundant and diverse data is a challenge. Manufacturing processes are usually meticulously optimised, making errors scarce. Moreover, caution is an important factor when deploying AI in a manufacturing environment; when errors occur, the consequences are often significant, both economically and in terms of safety. Andrei indicates: "If an AI programme gives the wrong advice in an industrial context, it can bring great economic damage but also pose a danger to the people working with the machine."
Production Intelligence
Production intelligence is the secret weapon to seamlessly integrate AI into the manufacturing industry. It is all about combining AI with deep domain knowledge, such as physical insights and practical knowledge of operators and machines. Instead of blindly analysing data, Production Intelligence blends physical principles with AI to enable more accurate predictions. Andrei comments, "One of the first steps in implementing AI in the process is therefore to digitise all domain knowledge present in the company."
The impact is significant
Production intelligence can have a significant impact on businesses. It can improve product quality, reduce waste, cut energy costs and optimise machine maintenance. Faster machine settings, real-time quality inspection and improved efficiency are a few more examples of how AI can transform manufacturing.
Although many companies have already taken steps towards digitisation, the adoption of AI in manufacturing is still in its infancy. A previously released whitepaper provides in-depth insights and real-life examples to help companies address these challenges and seize the opportunities. Would you prefer a short summary of the material? Then listen to the podcast episode "Production-intelligence: artificial intelligence in everyday industrial processes".
