How Much Prep Work Do Trusted AI Agents Really Need on the Factory Floor?
Picture a line drifting off spec at midnight. Operators don’t want a chatbot—they need a system that notices the issue, understands the context, and recommends an action they can trust. That trust isn’t created at the…
Digital Transformation for Manufacturers: Why Small Firms Can’t Wait
When people hear “digital transformation,” many picture massive factories with endless budgets and global IT teams. But the reality is that the future of U.S. manufacturing depends on much smaller companies. According to the SBA, nearly…
Who Should Own an AI Pilot in Manufacturing?
Answering an AI Frontiers 2025 audience questionContext. During AI Frontiers 2025, an attendee asked: Who should be the business owner and senior stakeholder for an AI proof of concept—and how should it be structured for quick wins and long-term…
Can SMEs Afford Agentic AI?
Small and mid-size manufacturers often ask: Is agentic AI truly within our reach, or is it a luxury only global plants can afford? At the “Agentic AI in Manufacturing: From Copilots to Autonomous Systems” session during AI Frontiers…
Agentic AI in Manufacturing: Best Practices for Quality, Speed, and Safety
Answering the audience’s questions At the AI Frontiers 2025 event, one audience member posed a question that goes to the heart of modern manufacturing challenges: “When introducing agentic AI into domain-specific workflows, what best practices help manufacturers improve…
GenAI in Manufacturing: Start with Data Quality, Governance, and Quick Wins
Answering the AI Frontiers Audience’s Question“Generative AI isn’t just about documents. Factories generate huge amounts of sensor data, but turning that into real value with AI is challenging. What should companies tackle first—improving data quality, linking…
The Human Side of Smart Manufacturing: People, Partners, and Purpose in IIoT and AI
When we talk about smart manufacturing, the spotlight often falls on technologies—Industrial IoT, machine learning, and generative AI. But behind every breakthrough, there are people making decisions, solving problems, and shaping how these tools are applied.…
Industry 4.0 project stuck in pilot? Tackle these 5 roadblocks
Maybe you’re tired of hearing about Industry 4.0, but we’re just now getting to the good part. Attitudes about Industry 4.0 use cases—and digital transformation as a whole—are largely optimistic among industrial companies. State of the…
From Pilots to Progress: How Manufacturers Can Scale MES and Industry 4.0 Initiatives the Right Way
At the MES & Industry 4.0 event in Porto, Jeff Winter, VP of Business Strategy at Critical Manufacturing, outlined a practical roadmap for manufacturers ready to move beyond experimentation and into scalable transformation.Start with a Purpose-Built…
Aligning People, Data, and Priorities: A Real-World Strategy for Scaling Digital Manufacturing
At the MES & Industry 4.0 Summit in Porto, May Yap, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Jabil, offered a clear message for manufacturers navigating global digital transformation: technology isn’t the hard part—alignment is.Across dozens…