Manufacturing is Getting 'Futurized' with Artificial Intelligence

Two forces in manufacturing are converging: 1) the need to bring more automation into the system during a time when workers are becoming scarce, and 2) advances in automation tools that do not require original programming. As these forces converge, manufacturers may have the opportunity to improve their production methods at the same time they address labor shortages. The dearth in manufacturing workers is getting complicated by disruptions in the supply chain. "Manufacturers are scrambling to deal with the labor shortage along with many other urgent issues such as disruption of the supply chain – from sheet metal to computer chips – unpredictable consumer demand, and pressures to reduce waste," Max Versace, CEO and co-founder of Neurala, told Design News. "A series of concurrent factors have greatly limited the number of people on the factory floor, while job openings remain are at a record high."