Artificial intelligence in manufacturing Forecast: AI awakening in the manufacturing industry in the next 5 years

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Artificial intelligence promises one thing above all else in electronics manufacturing: efficiency. So far, however, about half of European manufacturers lack the courage to implement it; the lack of expertise is currently the biggest stopper.

When you look around at the major trade fairs, all signs point to artificial intelligence, which, when implemented correctly, can optimize production and thus increase efficiency. But just as often there is a big question mark hanging in the exhibition hall and above the heads of the visitors: Where to start? How to begin? And where to get the expertise for implementation?

In a survey on artificial intelligence in European manufacturing by MakerVerse, a provider of a demand-driven manufacturing platform, it turns out that 43 percent of the surveyed European manufacturers have not yet introduced AI into their processes. At the same time, however, many hopes are placed in the capacities of artificial intelligence, with a view to process optimizations and production efficiency. In the following, we go into the findings of the survey a little further, but we would like to disclose the scope of the MakerVerse survey to you beforehand.

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More than 50 respondents from European manufacturers participated, meaning: The results cannot simply be generalized to the manufacturing industry, but they do allow us to guess trends. For a reminder: In the German-speaking region alone, there are around 600 companies in the EMS sector. Since we are already on the topic: ? We are very pleased about your participation. And now back to the MakerVerse survey.

High expectations, low penetration

As already mentioned, 43 percent of respondents to the question of AI implementation indicated that it has not been used so far. 26 percent of the participants each report that they have so far introduced AI to a small or moderate extent. That's still 52 percent of the companies surveyed. And even 5 percent of the surveyed European manufacturers report that AI technologies have already been extensively integrated into their manufacturing processes.

To say that AI plays no role would not be true. "While the interest and strategic importance of AI remain high, actual implementation is lagging behind, presenting a great opportunity for growth and innovation in manufacturing," says Dr. Markus Seibold, CEO of MakerVerse, on this matter.

Quality control, optimization, maintenance, supply chain management

An interesting finding from the MakerVerse survey is that artificial intelligence apparently is primarily used for quality assurance and inspection (59 percent) and planning optimized production processes (26 percent). AI is less often considered for maintenance (9 percent) and supply chain management (6 percent).

There would indeed be interesting areas of application, particularly for avoiding downtime. Predictive Maintenance is a strategy for maintaining machines and systems, which uses data and analysis to predict the optimum time for maintenance work. Instead of carrying out maintenance work according to a set schedule or reacting due to malfunctions, Predictive Maintenance uses data from various sources such as sensors, IoT devices, machine logs and historical maintenance data to detect potential problems early on.

In supply chain management, AI allows for demand forecasting, inventory optimization, route planning, and warehouse management optimization. With advancing digitization and a view to strengthening the resilience of the European manufacturing industry, the constant exchange among companies also plays a role. If the industry wants to position itself as crisis-proof, the formation of alliances will be necessary – and imagine how effective AI could act in such a network.

What stops AI?

If artificial intelligence now has so many advantages for manufacturing, why haven't many more companies already jumped on the bandwagon? The answer to this question is as simple as it is obvious. On the one hand, there is a lack of expertise (60 percent of the votes) as to how the implementation of AI could be tackled at some point in the production process. On the other hand, there are costly investments (15 percent).

Both arguments concern the same area: It is assumed that specialized personnel are needed to introduce AI. However, skilled personnel is desperately sought after – not without reason, Bitkom warns of a dramatic shortage of IT professionals in the coming years.

Concerns about data security are also cited as a hindrance by 15 percent, and for 10 percent, integration of AI into the currently used systems seems to be impossible or unimaginable.

The executives at MakerVerse stress in the context of the survey evaluation, of course, that you do not have to face the challenge of AI implementation alone. It says: "At MakerVerse, we use AI not only for your offers, but also for supply chain management and order processing. With immediate access to a verified supply chain and a wide range of manufacturing technologies, working with us guarantees high-quality parts at competitive prices and lead times."

Even if you don't want to take up a MakerVerse offer, you should still take a look at the AI services market. You don't have to handle the topic of AI in manufacturing alone. (sb)

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Link: The 2024 AI in European Manufacturing Report (MakerVerse)