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Technology Adoption and the Role of Automation
July 30, 2024 | Happy Holden, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: Less than a minute
In a recent paper at the SMTA Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium 2024, Auburn University professors highlighted their findings from their 2023 “Smart Manufacturing Adoption Study” Technical Report 23-01. The paper emphasizes five points that are important for the adoption of advanced technologies:
- Small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) face significant barriers to adopting Industry 4.0 technologies, such as AI, due to a lack of awareness, proven business cases, and a skilled workforce.
- The leading challenges for manufacturers in adopting smart technologies are having an operations workforce, operational efficiency, and the presence of an engineering workforce.
- Forty percent of manufacturers rank automation as their No. 1 technology solution, followed by 3D printing, sensors/IoT, and predictive analytics. AI is also gaining interest as a top technology solution.
- AI and ML have various application areas in electronics manufacturing, including equipment reliability, quality improvement, cost reduction, demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and overall process efficiency.
- The implementation of AI in electronics manufacturing is still in its early stages, with only 30% of companies believing they are generating value through AI applications.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the July 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
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