How to Leverage Machine Learning for You Manufacturing Business

Machine learning can address some of the age-old challenges that manufacturing companies face, like poor productivity and unprofitable processes. It’s a powerful tool that can help reduce costs, increase efficiency and boost output quality. Of course, knowing what to do with machine learning technology is another issue entirely, and one that can make a big difference in realizing its benefits.

Let’s take a look at machine learning and the manufacturing industry as well as the many ways this technology can support your business.

Machine Learning in Manufacturing

While data may be widespread, knowing what to do with it requires the right kind of knowledge. Machine learning works with high-dimensional problems and data, providing clear applications that are more accessible to workers.

Here are five ways manufacturing companies can leverage their machine learning insights to create worthwhile benefits for their operations.

Predictive Maintenance

When a piece of equipment goes down unexpectedly, it can cause expensive downtime, interrupting the revenue stream and creating costly repairs. With machine learning, businesses can gather a wide range of data that assists with everything from asset monitoring to purchasing decisions.

Machine learning can help keep an eye on the conditions and performance capabilities of certain tools and make valuable predictions about when the equipment is likely to fail. This technology can also help with predictive parts ordering and many other maintenance tasks to keep uptime high.

Product Development

Machine learning is an excellent way for the manufacturing industry to gather objective insights about their products. It can help companies identify new opportunities and minimize risk for new product rollouts, especially with the information it can offer during the planning stage.

Quality Improvements

Another benefit of machine learning for manufacturers is its ability to influence product quality, no matter how simple or complex the product is. Machine learning technology can gather data about every item that passes through the production line, making sure it meets your standards of quality. This information can help manufacturers:

• Meet regulations.
• Improve consistency.
• Improve final product quality.
• Reduce defects.
• Minimize impacts to their reputation.

Process Improvements

With machine learning in place, businesses can learn more about their process. They can be alerted to things like bottlenecks and any steps that aren’t delivering as much value as they could be. Machine learning can manage many different factors of logistics, inventory and the supply chain.

Security

Machine learning even offers benefits to security practices. It can identify who accesses what, along with how and when they did so. It can also support security systems with real-world knowledge and detecting any odd behavior.