With the smart manufacturing sector poised to reach nearly $590 billion by 2028 as automation and advanced technology propel the marketplace, the industry is ready to meet face-to-face at IME West, an event that brings together MD&M West and five other trade shows.
Several sessions highlight advances in manufacturing, including a panel discussing how to build a modern, connected manufacturing workforce using artificial intelligence (AI). Speakers include Kelly Malone, chief customer officer, Taqtile; Danielle Swank, founder and CEO, Fomoro; Chris Kuntz, vice president, GTM strategy, Augmentir; and Emilio Machado, managing director, private networks, Boingo Wireless.
The panel will explore how the development and use of AI, from image and speech recognition to robotic process automation, and now to smart devices that use augmented reality and deep learning, has given manufacturing a new way forward. Automation is greatly needed, given the graying workforce, the “great resignation,” and a new generation of workers who are used to gaming and the use of technology. The experts will discuss opportunities created by AI and the effects on the workforce; the barriers, if any, to adopting AI across manufacturing; the differences between large, mid-tier, and small manufacturers in regard to AI-related skills and adoption; and the roles that AI can augment or create in an organization.