AI and Edge computing are valuable assets for revolutionising manufacturing, helping businesses to streamline the production process and implement automation across the factory floor and supply chain without the use of cloud-based AI. The number of companies invested in utilising AI to enhance asset efficiency, streamline production and improve product quality increase every year. By relying on Edge AI technology, manufacturers can ensure the privacy and security of their data as well as protect themselves against cyberattacks and potential disruptions to the supply chain.  

Manufacturing environments manage a substantial amount of sensitive data, including customer information, production data, and intellectual property. A data breach within this environment can negatively impact a company’s reputation, finances, and customer trust. Cybersecurity measures can be strengthened by utilising Edge AI, which could continuously monitor manufacturing infrastructure for signs of cyber threats, unauthorised access, or malicious activity. By detecting and responding to security incidents in real-time, edge AI helps protect critical assets, prevent cyberattacks, and safeguard against potential disruptions to manufacturing.

Edge AI can also protect the sensitive data and IP of digital twins used in the production process. Digital twinning, producing virtual replicas or physical entities, has started to revolutionise industries by enhancing monitoring, simulation, and optimisation of processes in manufacturing. Edge-enabled digital twinning takes the process of digital twinning and allows it to operate independently of cloud infrastructure, which allows industries to maintain data privacy and enhance the security of digital twin infrastructure.

Quality control and inspection of products can be enhanced by using Edge AI on the factory floor. By deploying AI-powered vision systems at the edge, manufacturers can facilitate real-time quality control and inspect products for defects, deviations from product specifications, and other quality issues with accuracy and efficiency. This technology ensures that only high-quality products make it to the market, which improves overall customer satisfaction. Edge-based AI also improves supply chain management. By using devices at the edge, manufacturers can optimise their inventory levels, enhance demand forecasting accuracy, and streamline logistics operations, reducing costs and improving supply chain efficiency. Edge AI technology, likewise, allows manufacturers to use advanced robotics and efficient machine-to-machine communication closer to the source, rather than sending data to a server for analysis and response, which reduces latency while also protecting sensitive data.

Regarding the safety of workers, Edge AI can analyse local video feeds on the factory floor to detect any safety violations, unauthorised access, and hazardous conditions, which enables speedy intervention and mitigates any risks to personnel or assets. Similarly, Edge AI can be utilised in predictive maintenance of manufacturing infrastructure, analysing data from sensors and IoT devices to detect anomalies in equipment behaviour and catch maintenance issues early, which improves the lifespan of equipment, reduces any downtime in the production process, enhances the safety of workers and saves companies money.