Mar 27, 2025

Involving frontline staff ensures that the workforce is engaged, skilled, and prepared for future challenges, report says. DC Velocity Staff AI Powered According to Gartner, connected factory workers use digital tools and data management techniques to improve how work is done in factories. That access to new knowledge and technology reduces variability, decentralizes decisions, and proliferates knowledge. But Gartner research emphasizes the role of the connected factory worker in the advancement of an overall smart manufacturing strategy. “The connected factory worker can serve as a strategic pillar in supporting an organization’s aim of localizing manufacturing and expanding capacity," Simon Jacobson, Vice President Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Successful implementation of these initiatives is key to overcoming labor shortages, revitalizing the frontline workforce and reinventing the employee value proposition in manufacturing for a new generation.” The report described a pathway for organizations to achieve value creation through connected factory worker initiatives. In the near-term, they can achieve operational cost savings, while in the longer-term they may gain strategic benefits centered on enhancing the employee experience, upskilling talent, and creating new organizational roles that will appeal to and engage the next generation of workers. "Organizations that involve their frontline associates in shaping smart manufacturing are more likely to exceed expectations,” said Jacobson. “This approach ensures that the workforce is engaged, skilled, and prepared for future challenges." The Top 5 Feb 19, 2025 The New York-based industrial artificial intelligence (AI) provider Augury has raised $75 million for its process optimization tools for manufacturers, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion, the firm said today. According to Augury, its goal is deliver a new generation of AI solutions that provide the accuracy and reliability manufacturers need to make AI a trusted partner in every phase of the manufacturing process. The “series F” venture capital round was led by Lightrock, with participation from several of Augury’s existing investors; Insight Partners, Eclipse, and Qumra Capital as well as Schneider Electric Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures. In addition to securing the new funding, Augury also said it has added Elan Greenberg as Chief Operating Officer. “Augury is at the forefront of digitalizing equipment maintenance with AI-driven solutions that enhance cost efficiency, sustainability performance, and energy savings,” Ashish (Ash) Puri, Partner at Lightrock, said in a release. “Their predictive maintenance technology, boasting 99.9% failure detection accuracy and a 5-20x ROI when deployed at scale, significantly reduces downtime and energy consumption for its blue-chip clients globally, offering a compelling value proposition.” Keep ReadingShow less Feb 12, 2025 Global supply chains are running at “effectively” their full capacity, with the notable exception of Europe, which remains in a protracted industrial recession, according to a monthly analysis by supply chain software firm GEP. Clark, New Jersey-based GEP said its “GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index” is a leading indicator that tracks demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories, and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses. The index posted -0.21 at the start of the year, indicating that global supply chains are effectively at full capacity, signaled when the index hits 0. "January's rise in manufacturers' procurement across APAC and the U.S. signals steady growth ahead in Q1," John Piatek, GEP's vice president of consulting, said in a release. "Globally, companies are largely taking a wait-and-see approach to tariffs rather than absorbing the immediate cost of increasing buffer inventories. However, many Western firms are accelerating China-plus-one investments to diversify and near-shore manufacturing, assembly, and distribution. European manufacturers are especially vulnerable, as the sector has been contracting for nearly two years with no turnaround in sight. In the U.S., where manufacturing represents just 12% of GDP, the bigger concern for business is the potential revenue losses in China because of trade tensions." A key finding in the January results was a marked increase in procurement activity across North America. This increase was entirely driven by U.S. manufacturers, as purchasing managers at Mexican and Canadian factories sanctioned procurement cutbacks, indicating a darkened near-term outlook there, the report said. By contrast, many major producers in Asia bolstered their demand for inputs to meet growing production needs, led by China and India. South Korea, in particular, reported a marked pickup in January. But Europe's industrial economy continues to struggle, with report data indicating still-significant levels of spare capacity across the continent's supply chains. Factories in Germany, France, Italy, and the U.K. held back on material purchases in January, implying that Europe's manufacturing recession is set to persist a while longer. Keep ReadingShow less Jan 31, 2025 Manufacturing enterprises in North America are breaking with tradition to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as they seek to compete amid new technologies, consumer demands, and economic shifts, according to a report from the research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG). That changing landscape is forcing companies to adapt or replace their traditional approaches to product design and production. Specifically, many are changing the way they run factories by optimizing supply chains, increasing sustainability, and integrating after-sales services into their business models. “North American manufacturers have embraced the factory of the future. Working with service providers, many companies are using AI and the cloud to make production systems more efficient and resilient,” Bob Krohn, partner at ISG, said in the “2024 ISG Provider Lens Manufacturing Industry Services and Solutions report for North America.” To get there, companies in the region are aggressively investing in digital technologies, especially AI and ML, for product design and production, ISG says. Under pressure to bring new products to market faster, manufacturers are using AI-enabled tools for more efficient design and rapid prototyping. And generative AI platforms are already in use at some companies, streamlining product design and engineering. At the same time, North American manufacturers are seeking to increase both revenue and customer satisfaction by introducing services alongside or instead of traditional products, the report says. That includes implementing business models that may include offering subscription, pay-per-use, and asset-as-a-service options. And they hope to extend product life cycles through an increasing focus on after-sales servicing, repairs. and condition monitoring. Additional benefits of manufacturers’ increased focus on tech include better handling of cybersecurity threats and data privacy regulations. It also helps build improved resilience to cope with supply chain disruptions by adopting cloud-based supply chain management, advanced analytics, real-time IoT tracking, and AI-enabled optimization. “The changes of the past several years have spurred manufacturers into action,” Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research, said in a release. “Digital transformation and a culture of continuous improvement can position them for long-term success.” Keep ReadingShow less Jan 29, 2025 GE Vernova today said it plans to invest nearly $600 million in its U.S. factories and facilities over the next two years to support its energy businesses, which make equipment for generating electricity through gas power, grid, nuclear, and onshore wind. The company was created just nine months ago as a spin-off from its parent corporation , General Electric, with a mission to meet surging global electricity demands. That move created a company with some 18,000 workers across 50 states in the U.S., with 18 U.S. manufacturing facilities and its global headquarters located in Massachusetts. GE Vernova’s technology helps produce approximately 25% of the world’s energy and is currently deployed in more than 140 countries. The new investments – expected to create approximately 1,500 new U.S. jobs – will help drive U.S. energy affordability, national security, and competitiveness, and enable the American manufacturing footprint needed to support expanding global exports, the company said. They follow more than $167 million in funding in 2024 across a range of GE Vernova sites, helping create more than 1,120 jobs. And following a forecast that worldwide energy needs are on pace to double, GE Vernova is also planning a $9 billion cumulative global capex and R&D investment plan through 2028. The new investments include: almost $300 million in support of its Gas Power business and build-out of capacity to make heavy duty gas turbines, for facilities in Greenville, SC, Schenectady, NY, Parsippany, NJ, and Bangor, ME. nearly $20 million to expand capacity at its Grid Solutions facilities in Charleroi, PA, which manufactures switchgear, and Clearwater, FL, which produces capacitors and instrument transformers. more than $50 million to enhance safety, quality and productivity at its Wilmington, NC-based GE Hitachi nuclear business and to launch its next generation nuclear fuel design. nearly $100 million in its manufacturing facilities at U.S. onshore wind factories in Pensacola, FL, Schenectady, NY and Grand Forks, ND, and its remanufacturing facilities in Amarillo, TX. more than $10 million in its Pittsburgh, PA facility to expand capabilities across its Electrification segment, adding U.S. manufacturing capacity to support the U.S. grid, and demand for solar and energy storage almost $100 million for its energy innovation research hub, the Advanced Research Center in Niskayuna, NY, to strengthen the center’s electrification and carbon efforts, enable continued recruitment of top-tier talent, and push forward innovative technologies, including $15 million for Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) work. “These investments represent our serious commitment and responsibility as the leading energy manufacturer in the United States to help meet America’s and the world’s accelerating energy demand,” Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, said in a release. “These strategic investments and the jobs they create aim to both help our customers meet the doubling of demand and accelerate American innovation and technology development to boost the country’s energy security and global competitiveness.” Keep ReadingShow less