Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely acknowledged as a crucial aspect of what is broadly referred to as Industry 4.0. Although no one knows yet how AI will be incorporated into the next phase of the Industrial Revolution, most agree that it will allow greater connectivity between people, machines, and information technology, allowing manufacturers to better optimize processes and predict problems.

How are small and medium-sized manufacturers, which typically don’t have the time or capital it would take to test emerging technologies, supposed to evaluate how AI could impact their organization—and play a role in preparing them for Industry 4.0?

Waiting for the manufacturing sector to decide, so to speak, is certainly not an option. A delay of one, two, or five years could cause a manufacturer to be left behind. The time to act is now, but the path forward isn’t clear.

One way to address this is to evaluate AI through an ongoing transformation that many small and medium-sized manufacturers have already embraced: lean manufacturing.

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