The Future of Industry is the Self-Optimizing Plant

Technology has changed everything in our world in a very short period of time. The advancements brought about by the tech booms of the last fifty years or so have been staggering to behold. Now, thanks to AI software, we stand on the precipice of a truly revolutionary period for many sectors of the economy. One of the areas that will benefit the most from new AI software solutions will be manufacturing. Industrial AI software is already a burgeoning subset in the realm of AI development. Manufacturers in all sectors are talking about what the future holds. Many people believe that the future of industry is in the Self-Optimizing Plant. 

So, what is a Self-Optimizing Plant?

Essentially the self-optimizing plant is the goal of industrial AI software. It will be the end goal of every industry as it transforms itself into a 21st century digital entity. What this means is any kind of manufacturing plant, let’s say for instance a large-scale beverage maker, using industrial AI software to optimize its entire company. As more and more of the company gets integrated into a single digital platform, the AI modules will learn from the data that is input. At some point, the hope is that the plant becomes self-optimizing, which could lead to much of the operation being completely automated. 

There are three parts to the self-optimized plant. First, there is the plant itself and the people that work in it. This brings elements to the table like decades of experience, knowledge of machinery, and how to safely run a plant. Collectively these elements are referred to as domain expertise. Take our example of the beverage plant, this kind of knowledge and experience will help to understand the intricacies of bottling and canning soda that a computer can’t understand. Domain expertise is essentially real-world data that can’t be manufactured by AI programs. 

The second part is the software itself. Usually, it’s a bespoke system for AI software solutions. It can include many elements, but the cutting-edge ones operate mostly within a cloud computing system. The third part is AI and data science. This can look like machine learning or deep learning, as well as raw statistics. When these three elements combine, the result is industrial AI. Over time the hope is that industrial AI will give the client a self-optimized plant.  Overall, there will be many benefits to these kinds of manufacturing plants. The focus is on efficiency and productivity making the company more profitable. This can look like several things depending on the plant. AI software could lead to a safer working environment by significantly reducing dangerous site conditions. It can also make plants more environmentally friendly and reduce waste, which is great for everyone, but especially for the company’s bottom line. The combination of data, AI software, and domain expertise will continue to optimize industrial processes. The self-optimizing plant will constantly be improving upon itself. Over time the system will be predictive, making recommendations for you to improve efficiency and productivity even further.