Stereotypes have us thinking that the manufacturing industry is dull, boring and way so last century; and for some reason we fall for these comforting stereotypes. New technology seems to be the coolest thing on the block but if you were to do your proper and genuine analysis you will realize that the new technology is actually following in the manufacturing industries footsteps since the manufacturing industry is indeed the industry that made the modern age.

While so many of us were busy getting hyped over robots in all kinds of Sci-fi it was the manufactures that actually put them into practical shape. While latest technology headlines were gassing up 3D printing, manufactures had been prototyping with it for so long they were actually looking for the next best thing.

While so many of us were busy getting hyped over robots in all kinds of Sci-fi it was the manufactures that actually put them into practical shape.

Don’t get me wrong, am not discounting information technology; I still believe that it is the actual source of the latest revolution, but let’s all come to terms with the fact that the manufacturing industry is the source of the source.

Manufacturing is both high tech and low tech, and the fact that manufacturing is changing is not a new concept to anybody. What is new is the pace at which manufacturing is changing and this pace is worth exploring.

This year is particular covers some big themes such as; How to sift identity and make use of the lasts technology and tools to get nimble, break old habits and stay ahead of the next big wave.

AI like Facebook, Google and Amazon is now available to you.

The CEO at Yandex Data Factory, Jane Zavalishina says that the biggest misconception people have is that this is a thing of the future. Word is that it is not just a thing for the future and it is also not exclusive to tech giants and geniuses. The same machine learning software that makes it possible for you to buy things online can actually be put to use in numerous other contexts for instance, you can use it to analyze raw factory data and save costs.

Such machine learning software is not only available now, but in some instances it is actually free, according to Jane Zavalishina.

According to Neil Jacobstein, faculty chair of Artificial intelligence and Robotics at Singularity University, You can apply the technology to a wide variety of problems in industry all the way from design to quality control to manufacturing to customer services.

Robots Are Now Smart Enough To Avoid Killing You.

Forget the olden days where creating robots was a way of provoking your own demise, thanks to 3D modeling hardware and much better software, robots are getting smarter, lightweight and aware enough to work to humans without hurting them.

This is not to mean that the next step is eradicating human workers but rather work out a system that combines the best of both robots and the best of humans to achieving a common goal.

3D Manufacturing is Gearing up To Take Mass Manufacturing

When it comes 3D printing, printing anything, anywhere and anytime has always been the ultimate dream but the challenges of quality, cost and speed have not necessarily afforded us that luxury. However with the emerging solutions from carbon among others, 3D printing appears ready enough to take on mass manufacturing. In areas where 3D printed final parts are possible assembly lines will be dematerialized and we will be able to go directly from design to part without the necessity to retool and rebuild infrastructure for every product.

Augmented Reality Will Transform How we Design and Build

Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality is a more complicated and immersive engineering problem but with many more applications. When it comes to manufacturing, this means that designers will now have every reason to stop using the 2D modeling programs to do their work more quickly and more effectively in 3D

We’re Reprogramming Biology To Make Industrial Stuff

Bio-manufacturing will inevitably be a big deal some time down the road and we are learning how to reprogram simple organisms into sensors and miniature factories for making fibers, fuel and food. Most of the materials and how they are produced and recycled will be done mostly through biological means. So contrary to what many people think, biology is actually a big deal.

To Survive Change, Innovate on the edge more…a lot more

With the current state, innovation is something you will have to do full time and not as a side hustle, it is critical and increasingly central survival skill. This means that you will need to innovate more and more outside your comfort zone.