We’ve all heard about the proverbial curve and how to stay ahead of it. In the manufacturing business, many people think this means adopting the latest trends. But staying ahead — truly ahead — is about building anticipatory foundations for the future before the winds of change begin to blow. iniTECH, a pioneer in creating digital infrastructures for manufacturing settings, embodies this principle.

Long before Industry 4.0 arrived, iniTECH was pioneering integrated machine learning and IoT. This legacy laid the groundwork for the company to take a prominent position in the modern manufacturing domain, especially today as it braces to be redefined once again — this time by AI-driven transformations.

“The future of AI in manufacturing is an open question. The possibilities are endless and it is just beginning to be shaped by those of us who prepared and equipped ourselves for this moment,” says Rich DiBernardo, CEO of iniTECH. “We’re excited to be part of this stimulating new industrial revolution.”

For years before it was en vogue, iniTECH made strides to bring intelligence to the shop floor. But it was a lonely journey to start and they soon recognized that capturing a broader range of information was essential for truly optimized production. Many of the most popular existing systems captured PLC or DCS data, but left out many manual batch production processes, such as material delivery and powder additions. These non-automated processes were critical to overall operation, but were hard to track. iniTECH pressed ahead and over the next decade-plus, the manufacturing world got wise to the staying power of automation and the advent of next generation AI.

“IoT was talked about a lot during Industry 4.0. There was a lot of publicity, a lot of buzz,” says DiBernardo. “But in the end, many IoT devices required connecting to external systems. And today, it’s clear the industry is moving away from that because external connectivity simply left too many susceptible to the ever-growing threat of hacks.”

But DiBernardo sees it playing out differently this time around. With Industry 5.0 fast approaching, he and his team are working on an entire suite of AI tools. This includes their proprietary AI Data Analysis Tool, which can delineate massive amounts of data to aid in cost-effective, lean-forward decision-making. It utilizes decades of data points specific to the manufacturing world, as well as customer data — such as existing workflow, flash points, inventory replenishment, throughput and equipment usage — to analyze and optimize production processes across the board. Other tools in the works include an AI-assisted Spray Dry Tool and a powerful Lean AI Factory Design Tool. (Be on the lookout for these and more this fall.)

For companies wondering what they should do to prepare for the coming sea change, DiBernardo says it begins with implementing a Digital Backbone. Bi-directional data flow allows a free exchange of information between the plant floor and AI. It connects all equipment with communication capabilities to the data integration system and eliminates the need for manual data-entry, dramatically cutting down on turnaround time and human error.

If you don’t have AI fully integrated, most likely having it on your shop floor is a complete waste of time

“If you don’t have AI fully integrated, mosty likely having it on your shop floor is a complete waste of time. A lot of people think AI is magic pixie dust. It isn’t,” explains DiBernardo. “It is a powerful tool to be studied and harnessed. Remember, AI is a data hog; it wants all the data. Data entry must be automated, just as the AI adjustments need to be. The Digital Backbone collects data from your PLC, but also from manual and material movements. This must be a closed loop, spanning manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic processes. Otherwise it’s like they say: garbage in, garbage out.”

This vision was strengthened by iniTECH’s participation in the first annual New Jersey AI Summit, hosted by Governor Phil Murphy’s administration and Princeton University. DiBernardo’s team was honored to be the only engineering firm invited to the event and they look forward to the revolutionary new AI tools that will eventually come to market as a result.

But they know the work is just beginning. The future doesn’t wait for anybody.