If you imagine a manufacturing floor just five years ago, it's very different from today, not to mention decades ago. This is because intelligent machines, such as robotics and automation tools, work with humans in environments where collaboration, speed and efficiency are gained.
Using artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, manufacturers can now reduce equipment failures, predict when they will occur, and optimize physical systems to meet real-time needs. All of these contribute to more effective manufacturing and production, but it's not just the increase in automation that's going on. This represents a greater maintenance of traditional manufacturing standards to embrace new circumstances of intelligent evolution.
What is intelligent evolution?
With “intelligent evolution,” I'm not talking about simple adoption of forms of automation and machine learning, it's kind of a set-and-forget approach. Instead, it refers to how companies can “intelligently” implement machine learning, AI, predictive analytics, and automation in any possible space alongside manufacturing. From design initiation to production, quality control, packaging, and logical delivery to customers.
Intelligent Evolution is the strategic use of machine learning technologies such as AI to iterate and simplify assembly, quality assurance, and delivery processes within an organization. Anything that can be used to improve has been improved, and there are processes in which improvements are identified. Using AI-driven models to identify areas for efficiency is just the beginning. Therefore, once an intelligent system enters fold, evolution is inevitable.
Given the confusion, manufacturing has experienced following the community pandemic, but we can see that supply chains are still recovering. Companies are strategizing ways to improve material flow for data analysis and production and delivery, making new investments in automation and forecasting processes to build a more resilient attitude in the post-pandemic era. The limitations of the past few decades have been addressed by robotics dexterity, advances in machine learning, data analysis, and the automation of complex tasks. All of these would have been historically considered impossible. This is evidence of the evolutionary power of the way technology improves human operational standards.
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Intelligent machines are growing rapidly
According to a 2023 McKinsey report, “Half of today's work activities can be automated between 2030 and 2060.” This means that manufacturing is standing on the cliff of comprehensive reorders. The concern here is not that such evolution is happening. In fact, change is inevitable.
What I advocate is that companies should now look at, rather than postpone it, is how current employment and role in the existing workforce evolve to meet the new needs of this new manufacturing environment. It is better to prepare your star staff to be educated for evolutionary change on the horizon.
Some current roles are automated, but new roles are created instead. This is always a fear among workers. Business leaders are required to assure the workforce that they plan to mitigate the issues later. In fact, this approach will help you maintain the best maintenance of your skilled workforce during this evolutionary period, stay competitive on the other side and utilize your most talented people in new ways to achieve your core goals.
The new market already shaped for production is huge. According to a report by Research & Markets, “The global industrial control and factory automation market is valued at $255.8 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $39.912 billion by 2029. The CAGR is expected to register a CAGR of 9.3%.” This means that the industry will have a much better advantage as it automates more.
How to accept change without being behind
The future of a business will depend heavily on how the agile workforce can remain during these massive changes. As I said, such evolution is inevitable. How well you are prepared determines how well you are. This requires ongoing alignment between the organization's leadership, board members, investors, and the business sector on which all operations rely.
With the advent of AI technology, manufacturing has entered a new era of making things and shipping them. Companies that can accelerate and adapt to the changes needed to existing processes can see not only a key revenue increase, but a more efficient way to generate that revenue. Similarly, workers who predict how this evolution can benefit their careers will likely see those benefits.
It is the role of business executive leadership to implement more intelligent machines and prepare the existing workforce to educate them for the future. Automation doesn't have to be a scary effort. Instead, we should consider it as improving the work already at hand and empowering skilled professionals to focus on other more impactful areas of design, production, quality assurance and supply chain logistics. It's about career growth, not stagnation or unemployment.
One of the keys to successful evolution of AI is a deep understanding of how to maximize technology. You cannot fire a tool equipped with AI and leave. AI integration must be woven into the organization's fabric to improve efficiency, drive innovation and create value. The use of AI should be tailored specifically to the organization and its technology use case. Look at it as a strategic integration between business practices, not as a plug-and-play solution. AI can affect every aspect of the business if you allow it, but you need to make sure that all AI systems are transparent and accountable for ethical considerations. With these in mind, AI can be used to transform potential challenges into opportunities for growth.
If you are currently worried about how a manufacturer is suited to you, you can tackle the changes you need to adopt AI and other predictive analytics and automation models. MSPs will help you navigate this period of uncertainty and strategize how to adopt new systems and eliminate old systems. Even if you simply bring in consultants when your organization hits a wall or wants a second opinion before implementing a new solution, MSP is a good third party to take advantage of. All these aspects contribute overall to the organization's strategic attitude and allow for uninterrupted operations to continue despite any changes that are occurring.
