There’s lots of talk about artificial intelligence in the business world. Manufacturers have started to wonder if AI makes sense for their company and what it may mean for their workforce. We’d argue that there’s a new AI that’s more important for the manufacturing industry: augmented intelligence.
While artificial intelligence involves processes that use technology to complete tasks automatically, augmented intelligence is focused on providing human decision makers with more advanced knowledge to make informed decisions. By compiling and sorting through data from daily operations, augmented intelligence can help your employees form a clearer picture of what is happening during production and the causes behind it. From there, your organization can begin making the most productive adjustments. Let’s get into the specific benefits of introducing augmented intelligence into your plant.
Early Detection of Problems
In the normal operations of a manufacturing plant, each process is generating so much data at any given moment that it can be hard for employees to thoroughly review every aspect of production. As such, it’s common for small mistakes or inefficiencies to slip through the cracks. Augmented intelligence can sort through all of this data rapidly and present your employees with the critical data they need in real time, allowing them to identify deviations or other issues quickly.
One notable example of the effectiveness of augmented intelligence comes from a clinical study on cancer cells, discussed in a recent IBM report. The study found an artificial intelligence-based system had a 7.5% error rate in identifying lymph node cancer cells, while human scientists had an error rate of 3.5%. However, when the scientists combined system data with their own findings, the error rate fell to just 0.5%. With added knowledge from augmented intelligence, your workforce can successfully make adjustments and relieve some of the strain on your overall manufacturing system.
Closely Monitor Processes
Another beneficial factor of augmented intelligence is the ability to provide round-the-clock monitoring of all production activities. This technology can gather a remarkable amount of data, while also organizing the information to make it easier for your team to analyze. Employees can then make more timely and accurate calculations to recommend potential improvements in product quality, plant optimization and other areas. Augmented intelligence will not make any real decisions for your plant. Instead, it presents all the necessary data and relies on your team to make the best decision accordingly.
Over time, this data can also help your organization learn when various machines or systems will need maintenance to prevent breakdowns or inefficiencies. Getting ahead of potential delays will save both time and money in the long run, and keeping machines running smoothly can also reduce your plant’s overall operating costs. According to predictions from Gartner, augmentation will generate nearly $3 trillion in value in 2021, making it more valuable than any other form of AI. By 2025, it may be twice as valuable as other virtual agents.
Learn How to Adapt and Scale
Manufacturers that utilize augmented intelligence are able to combine data from processes throughout the entire plant. With a more connected system, your team is able to more easily and quickly work around bottlenecks. Previously, these challenges may have complicated new product introductions, variations or personalization. By implementing these changes, your plant can run more efficiently and also allow you to offer a stronger overall customer experience. As demand for product increases, augmented intelligence can also provide the information needed to successfully scale up production to meet growing consumer needs.
Our advanced manufacturing planning and scheduling software, VirtECS, has been utilizing augmented intelligence since our company was founded back in 1993. VirtECS relies on augmented intelligence to continuously learn about a plant’s unique planning and scheduling challenges and discover optimized solutions. As such, our VirtECS technology is able to advance on a regular basis. If you’re interested in learning more about how augmented intelligence and advanced software can improve your manufacturing operations, click here to view our VirtECS Overview.
