Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the packaging and processing industry. Early adopters are already reaping benefits from AI, and it will deliver an even greater impact in the future, according to a new report, The AI Advantage in Equipment: Boosting Performance and Bridging Skills Gaps, published by PMMI BusinessIntelligence, a division of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
The report, prepared in conjunction with Interact Analysis, a global research specialist in the automation value chain, examines benefits, barriers, and tactics for the deployment of three AI technologies, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI. It also discusses the five applications most likely to provide the greatest impact on the packaging and processing industry, including AIassistants, machine vision, predictive maintenance, digital twins, and connected worker platforms.
Case studies describe how automation vendors and OEMs are using AI technologies and their ability to improve the production of packaging and consumer packaged goods.
Benefits of AI include more efficient machine performance, especially when random inputs and outputs are involved; increased worker productivity due to support of time-consuming tasks such as data entry and coding; and mitigating skills gaps and labor issues by enabling optimized and personalized training. But, more importantly, the benefits of AI are not finite, improvement is continuous. The report explains that’s because “… the longer these technologies are used and the more data they process, the better the outputs become. … [the] systems learn over time.”
