AI in Manufacturing: 6 Ways Artificial Intelligence Can Help Your Manufacturing Processes

Half a decade ago, EAM-Mosca was already urging manufacturers to “get smart” about their manufacturing processes. Industry 4.0 was dawning, and data, devices, and cutting-edge technologies were beginning to transform the manufacturing world. 

Fast forward to 2024 and that revolution is fully underway, particularly due to the recent trends of AI development and adoption. AI may be a buzzword at the moment, but it has both genuine utility and untapped potential to optimize and improve manufacturing in multiple ways. From robots and cobots to predictive modeling and product design, here’s how AI is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry at the moment.

1. AI Continues to Collaborate and Automate

In some ways, AI has been quietly reinventing manufacturing for years now in the form of robotics and cobotics. The former can handle automated sequences in the manufacturing process while the latter support and enhance human capabilities, such as sorting or palletizing products.

Economist and Forbes senior contributor Bill Conerly points out that recent LLM and neural network breakthroughs in AI have yet to significantly impact this existing autonomous and collaborative automated workforce. However, the trickle-down impact of smarter machines is coming. As more data becomes available and human workers upskill, manufacturers will be able to upgrade robots on the manufacturing floor to begin making decisions based on sensory data happening around them in real-time.

2. AI Can Optimize Energy Usage in Manufacturing

One of the key advantages of artificial intelligence is its ability to observe data sets, generate actionable takeaways, and then translate them into intelligible language. This makes it possible to identify and understand previously hidden shortcomings in the manufacturing process. 

For example, guest writing for The Economist, futurist Ray Kurzweil highlights three key things that manufacturing heavily depends on: energy, labor, and raw materials. He elaborates that robotics and cobotics are already helping with labor. In addition, the blistering speed of AI simulations is already creating breakthroughs in the energy sector in areas such as batteries and photovoltaics. This has the potential to improve energy management in the manufacturing process, reducing overhead and optimizing expenses in the process.

3. AI Is Improving Warehouse Management

AI is also improving a closely connected part of manufacturing and distribution: inventory management. One LinkedIn article from earlier in 2024 speaks to the way AI is already impacting Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). 

AI software and tools enable warehouse staff to predict future demand (more on that in a minute). They also provide strategic insights and optimization strategies using real-time insights. This can look like anything from recognizing patterns in fulfillment activity to creating dynamic slotting systems, optimizing in-warehouse travel, and identifying ideal stock levels. All of this makes it easier for both manufacturer and warehouse leadership to plan for ongoing production and supply chain demand.

4. AI Offers Access to Predictive Analytics

One of AI’s biggest advantages is the ability to use past data to predict future manufacturing needs. This can take several forms, all of which are helping manufacturers improve operations. For example, AI algorithms are able to analyze data from manufacturing equipment and machinery. It can then produce predicted recommendations for when specific parts are likely to break down, need replacing, or require other maintenance.

Predictive analytics can also help with demand forecasting. By observing past frequencies in demand, algorithms can help manufacturers better understand how much of each product to produce at any given moment. This also ensures that raw materials and workers are in place when need spikes and are reduced during slower times. This is particularly helpful in areas like the food and beverage industries, where seasonal demand can fluctuate rapidly and often.

5. AI Is Enabling Custom Manufacturing and Product Design

AI tools are empowering manufacturers to invest in more targeted and custom product designs. As creators conceptualize products, they can use AI insights to study changes in regulatory compliance, identify market trends, and integrate customer feedback. This leads to more targeted products that meet customer needs and pain points while maintaining regulatory compliance.

The World Economic Forum emphasizes the fact that, while this has always been the case, AI algorithms can perform these analyses much faster. This gives manufacturers the ability to optimize product features and attributes according to their own or their customers’ priorities. From safety features to performance, profitability, and even aesthetics, AI is helping manufacturers hone in on the perfect products for their target audiences. 

6. AI Could Improve Employee Training

One area where AI is just beginning to emerge is the area of spatial computing. Also called XR, this is the umbrella term for technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Companies are already using spatial computing to improve employee on-the-job training. Moving forward, Harvard Business News suggests AI could play an even bigger role in helping employees understand their assigned tasks.

The ability to use AI to create meaningful, data-rich spatial experiences can help provide employees with instructions and interactions through hardware such as VR goggles and smart glasses. This can provide real-time instruction and answers to nuanced questions which, in the past, would slow down the learning process.

Integrating AI Into Manufacturing

Artificial intelligence is more than a reference to Asimovian robots walking the warehouse floor. It is a multi-faceted technology with infinite potential in the manufacturing space. 

Automation, optimization, warehouse management, predictive analytics, custom design, and employee training all stand to benefit from the AI revolution in the coming years. Some are already doing so. Other opportunities will doubtless present themselves as manufacturers continue to innovate and explore the endless opportunities of the Industry 4.0 era.

If you’re looking for the latest, most effective end-of-line packaging technologies, contact our team at EAM-Mosca. We can help you evaluate your packaging needs and ensure your manufacturing process is taking full advantage of the top-shelf packaging technologies available.