The manufacturing sector is not indifferent to digital transformation. The implementation of solutions using artificial intelligence not only improves the quality of production, but also has a positive impact on safety and optimization of all processes, as well as rapid response to emerging obstacles. How is AI being used in factories and why are we talking about a revolution in this context?
Artificial intelligence – What Exactly Is It?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used today in commerce, the healthcare system, transportation and many other areas of human life. But what is artificial intelligence anyway? In the simplest terms, this is what we call systems or machines that mimic human intelligence. As a result, they efficiently execute set commands and improve their operation based on successively collected information.
Building an AI system is mainly done through machine learning, which is when a machine learns from previous experience, and through a neural network – consisting of a sequence of algorithms that search for relationships between variables and process data in a similar way to the human brain.
How Is Artificial Intelligence Being Used in Manufacturing?
The use of artificial intelligence in industry has great potential, which is already being used by many business sectors. We can distinguish several major applications of AI in manufacturing. We can use artificial intelligence for, among other things:
- Quality and performance forecasting, or predictive analysis
In an era of ever-increasing competition, we can’t afford losses and systems that don’t deliver the intended results. Modern manufacturing software supports the detection of the causes of losses. Artificial intelligence analyzes individual processes and is thus able to alert us to an impending problem. - Predictive maintenance
The purpose of this function is to predict failures and alert workers to them. Using artificial intelligence in production also prevents secondary damage. Importantly, this keeps the system running without unnecessary interruptions, and the entire repair process can prove to be lossless at the end of the day. - Inventory management
Artificial intelligence supports lowering inventory costs. By monitoring inventory levels, AI can predict resource shortages before they occur. - Optimization of the supply chain
Market changes require manufacturers to have a flexible approach to continuously improve the supply chain. Artificial intelligence can not only control inventory, but also energy and raw material consumption. By continuously collecting information and analyzing data, AI supports business decision-making to optimize all processes.
Artificial Intelligence vs IoT
AI is the driving force behind technology. Combined with the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), it has enormous benefits for the industrial ecosystem. This symbiosis allows for the development of connected intelligent machines that can share information and make informed decisions without human intervention. With AI and IoT, we can build a full autonomous environment where machine interactions will positively impact productivity and the data management process.
– The creation of artificial intelligence systems must be done prudently. After all, the main purpose of doing so is to use modern technology to replace humans in certain processes. To open up to AI is to open up to customized solutions. Blulog is part of this movement, offering customers pre-configured IoT devices that support quality control optimization. – comments Daria Roszczyk-Krowicka, Sales and Marketing Director at Blulog, a company providing cutting-edge solutions for monitoring and optimizing the supply chain.
AI Development in Poland
According to the Digital Poland Foundation’s “State of Polish AI 2021” report, Poland ranks 1st among CEE countries and 7th in the entire European Union in terms of the number of experts working on the development or implementation of artificial intelligence. Such a result shows what a huge industry AI development is becoming. The specialists surveyed indicated that 15% of their clients are from the manufacturing sector.
Implementation of systems based on artificial intelligence is not always fast. The biggest difficulties faced by Polish companies are the lack of access to specialists in this field. Many companies also struggle with a lack of high-quality data, which is essential for AI to develop a competitive advantage.
For Those Interested – Events on the Development of Artificial Intelligence
The SIDO Lyon 2022 Technology Expo – an event dedicated to the convergence of IoT, AI, XR and Robotics technologies for the digital transformation of companies – will take place soon, on September 14-15. For that, a week later, on September 20 and 21, the European edition of the IoT Tech Expo conference, dedicated to the discussion of IoT ecosystems, will take place in Amsterdam.
Source: Borowiecki Ł. & Mieczkowski P. (2021) „State of Polish AI 2021”, Digital Poland Foundation, Warsaw, Poland, April, 2021
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