AI is reshaping nearly every sector and industry. So, it was fitting that NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith appeared at the annual FABTECH show in Chicago this week to emphasize the importance of coming to terms with change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our attitude towards change that really limits our possibilities,\u201d said Smith during his keynote presentation.<\/p>\n
FABTECH draws as many as 45,000 professionals in manufacturing, metal fabrication, and welding. They come to see the latest offerings from more than 1,700 vendors and attend four days of technology sessions. The prevailing theme of this year\u2019s event is AI-driven automation. Whether attendees like it or not, change is a-coming, and AI is driving it.<\/p>\n
Smith recounted stories from his storied career about how a former coach moved him from quarterback to running back when he was young, how he temporarily failed to make the first team in college, and how he adjusted after retiring from the NFL to start a new career.<\/p>\n
\u201cChange happens to all of us; you don\u2019t know what\u2019s on the other side,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen facing change, you need to broaden your game and prepare for opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FABTECH audience welcomed Smith\u2019s message; they are facing a transformation snowstorm involving collaborative robots (cobots), automation, and AI. Traditional skills still matter, but they are no longer enough.<\/p>\n
Scott Sawyer, co-founder and chief scientist at Paperless Parts, has spent years developing software to help fabricators and manufacturers digitize and optimize time-intensive processes such as quoting and estimating. Now, he must upgrade everything to incorporate AI into his product line.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI may be overhyped, but it is the most important innovation in decades,\u201d Sawyer said. \u201cManufacturers need to understand that AI is a technology, not a solution. It takes industry expertise to transform it into an effective solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sawyer outlined AI use cases in manufacturing, including computer aided design\/manufacturing (CAD\/CAM), design iteration, augmented reality headsets, and process control\/optimization. His company also uses AI to identify requests for quotes (RFQ) and their many attachments and specifications to organize them more efficiently.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAI can help your front office surface objective information faster so you can make informed decisions,\u201d Sawyer said.<\/p>\n
Denise Stafford, business development manager at industrial robot manufacturer KUKA, shared her insights on cobots in the workplace. She recounted how Stanley Black & Decker invested $90 million in an all robot\/cobot\/automated factory for tool production with no human workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The factory ultimately failed because robots could not replicate the nuances of manual human actions required in tool manufacturing. She used this case to highlight the importance of balancing grand visions from leaders, managers, and innovators with input and involvement from the shop floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cRespect and value your shop floor people and make them co-owners of new technology like AI and cobots,\u201d said Stafford. \u201cInstead of being slaves to the robots, find ways how they can help existing workers to learn and to make their jobs easier and more enjoyable, such as taking over tedious, repetitive, or dangerous tasks.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Ulrich, chief executive officer of industrial automation firm Acieta, argued that the role of AI is to enhance human workers, not replace them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe human plus automation and AI is the perfect combination,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are still needed to handle complex decisions, troubleshooting, and problem solving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ulrich recommended directing AI at high-turnover roles to reduce hiring burdens and advised companies to distinguish carefully between tasks that can and cannot be automated. He added that because automation is not one-size-fits-all, working with an experienced integrator is preferable to off-the-shelf implementations due to the specialist expertise required.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow your product and process deeply if you want to effectively implement automation and incorporate AI,\u201d said Ulrich. \u201cNot all manual tasks have the ability to be automated so you need to set realistic expectations.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kate Brown, partner for manufacturing data and analytics at Wipfli, also covered some of the ways to avoid AI and automation failures. But she emphasized the many successes that are already manifesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to her data, those investing more than 20% of revenue in technologies like AI and automation are 23 times more likely to acquire other companies, 18 times more likely to remain profitable, and generate $40,000 more per employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown cited one client that had continual trouble with machinery breakdowns. Predictive maintenance and the addition of sensors inside the equipment lowered unplanned downtime by 30% and reduced maintenance costs by 20%, boosting output and customer satisfaction. AI agents powered by Microsoft Copilot technology were used as part of this solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis area is one of the fastest and easiest on the shop floor to gain ROI from AI,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThink big, start small, and then scale fast.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown gave another example of a company worried about its future due to a key employee planning to retire. AI agents transcribed videos of the employee going through his duties and explaining his areas of expertise in detail. AI changed the videos into documents and summarized them. The company\u2019s database of procedural documents and policy were scanned and included in the AI database. This made it easier to transfer knowledge from a retiring person\u2019s mind into the hands of several replacements who could then more easily assume those duties.<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019s final example involved a complex billing process that tied up personnel time. AI handled most of the data collection, saving each biller 200 to 300 hours a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgentic AI can alleviate a lot of manual effort, but a person still has to review its findings and recommended actions,\u201d said Brown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read eWeek\u2019s coverage about the <\/strong>top 10 jobs at risk of being replaced by AI<\/strong><\/a>. Kezia Jungco writes, \u201cJobs at higher risk of automation are concentrated in industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and customer service.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The post With AI Looming, NFL Legend Emmitt Smith Tells FABTECH Audience to Embrace Change<\/a> appeared first on eWEEK<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AI is reshaping nearly every sector and industry. So, it was fitting that NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith appeared at the annual FABTECH show in Chicago this week to emphasize the importance of coming to terms with change. \u201cIt\u2019s our attitude towards change that really limits our possibilities,\u201d said Smith during his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}