Today, humanity is experiencing fifth industrial revolution. If the previous ones were related to mechanization, electrification and robotization, now it is the turn of artificial intelligence. Experts say that the introduction of AI not only increases productivity, but also reduces environmental damage, improves wages and, in general, has a beneficial effect on both society and the planet. How exactly does this work? Let's look into it in more detail.
1. Supply chain management
Huge warehouses of raw materials, components and finished products are a forced decision. Ideally, all materials should be delivered just in time — according to the needs of the production line. The capacity of the enterprise should also be regulated — in strict accordance with demand, no more and no less.
This is exactly what artificial intelligence does. It predicts the need for all resources and helps you form ideal orders. Of course, at the current stage, manufacturing enterprises cannot operate without warehouses, but their space is already decreasing. On average, introduction of artificial intelligence allows you to reduce warehouse space by 35%, reduce costs by 15% and increase order processing speed by 65%.
In the future, robotization of transport may improve already impressive performance. Just imagine drones bringing parts to the assembly line and instantly returning back, completing their mission with a margin of error within 1 second.
2. Predictive maintenance
Artificial intelligence can make the forced downtime of production lines a thing of the past. Thanks to advanced analytics, he is able to predict exactly when a particular mechanism will fail. This enables management to:
- choose the ideal time for maintenance, for example, with minimal load;
- order all spare parts in advance;
- launch a backup line if necessary.
Predictive maintenance concerns not only assembly lines, but also the mechanisms that come off them. For example, Ford company digitizes all parts of its machines using hundreds of highly sensitive sensors. These sensors assess the quality of the metal, the surface relief, the chemical composition of the material and other characteristics. Thanks to this, artificial intelligence can select the optimal time to replace a part with an accuracy of more than 90% by sending a message to the car's multimedia system.
3. Product optimization
Industrial products often go through dozens if not hundreds of iterations of tests before mass production begins, especially when it comes to heavy equipment, medical equipment, and electronics. As a result, preparations for the launch of a new product take several years. For example, at the time of the smartphone's presentation, the company is already working on its next generation, and in some cases on later models.
The use of artificial intelligence makes it possible to optimize this process and reduce its duration. Most of the tests can be done in theory by spending hours and days on them instead of long months. As a result, the first prototype will already have much more positive properties, which will reduce the number of iterations.
Artificial intelligence works much better than developers and test engineers. It tests absolutely all hypotheses, even the most incredible ones. This has already allowed large companies to develop new, more efficient models of jet engines and nuclear reactors.
4. Reorganization of work processes
Even after four industrial revolutions, much of human labor is wasted. Robots don't save the situation either. Many enterprises still use the principle of organizing old manufactories, where most operations were performed manually. Because of this, mechanization brings only a slight increase in productivity.
Fundamental changes are made possible thanks to the use of AI. By processing data from sensors, cameras, and heatmaps, artificial intelligence finds ways to reduce time, effort, and resources. This approach is already being used by the American company General Electric. Using self-developed AI, it reduced conveyor downtime by 10%, increased plant productivity by 4% and reduced equipment breakdowns by 25%.
5. Quality control
The quality control process itself is an eternal dilemma between time and thorough analysis. Enterprises are looking for a “middle ground” between the speed of production and additional warranty costs. While most operations are performed manually, an improvement in one metric results in a deterioration in another.
But artificial intelligence is a different phenomenon. Machine learning technologies make it possible to analyze thousands of parameters in a matter of seconds, find hidden patterns and make the optimal decision: allow the product to be sold, modified or rejected.
An example of this use of AI in the real world is Foxconn. One of the leading manufacturers of mobile electronics uses artificial intelligence to test its products, including iPhone components. Its system determines the percentage of deviation from the norm that can seriously affect the consumer properties of the product during the warranty period.
6. Cobots
A cobot is a next-generation intelligent robot trained to perform a specific operation together with a person. Today, they are used in many areas where serious technological limitations still exist. But there will be a place for them in the future — cobots will become assistants to blacksmiths, artists, engravers, landscape designers, as well as representatives of other professions at the intersection of industry and art.
The use of cobots requires extreme caution due to unpredictable human behavior in the workplace. Such a robot must constantly update and optimize its algorithm in order to achieve maximum productivity and minimize the risk of injury to humans. It is almost impossible to achieve such results without the use of artificial intelligence.
Cobots are already found in Japanese supermarkets. These tireless merchandisers are able to place goods on shelves around the clock, fulfilling any whims of the administration. At the same time, they do not interfere with customers and do not create additional risks. And in some cases, robots even help customers, for example, by serving goods to people with disabilities.
7. Order management
The situation is simple: the customer entered an extra zero into the order form, and the assembly line is preparing to produce a thousand concrete mixers instead of a hundred. This is a huge investment of time and resources that often do not pay off properly. Of course, such an inattentive client will have to pay a fine, but it is unlikely that its amount will cover all losses. But there are also deliberate abuses — sabotage, cyber attacks, unfair competition.
AI can analyze orders as they arrive and identify suspicious numbers. In our example, he will send a message to the responsible manager who will contact the buyer to clarify the order details. Just a few minutes can save tens of thousands of dollars and improve the partnership between the two companies.
Large enterprises are already using ready-made solutions for order analysis, for example, IBM Sterling Order Optimizer. They analyze not only the history of production orders, but also external factors, such as price fluctuations, changes in inventory balances, or the emergence of new competitors.
8. Smart factories
The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually entering our daily lives. Machines that are able to share information with other machines can do a much better job. And this applies not only to household appliances, but also to serious industrial equipment.
Let's imagine a situation: an important part in the assembly line suddenly fails. The company's work did not stop, but it slowed down significantly. At the same time, artificial intelligence has taken the following measures:
- called a team of repairmen or a repair robot;
- increased ventilation performance for additional cooling of machines;
- reduced productivity at the previous stage of the production process;
- reduced the order of materials to avoid overflowing the warehouse.
An example of such smart plants is a number of General Electric enterprises built from scratch based on the Predix platform. It improves productivity by an average of 18%, while reducing costs by 10-20%.
The new industrial revolution is here
AI is already influencing most aspects of our lives. Its influence goes far beyond the manufacturing sector. Artificial intelligence helps optimize logistics, retail, and services. Do you want to use new technology to increase the profitability of your enterprise and simplify business management? Contact StartDuck specialists — we have both creative ideas and effective tools for their implementation.
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