Creating value with generative AI in manufacturing

In the face of increased competition, shrinking profit margins, and increasing ESG obligations, manufacturers are looking for ways to make products better, faster, and with less waste. Others are weighing the advantages of subscription-based business models where industrial equipment, automation, and processes are delivered as a service.

As the manufacturing sector evolves in these and other ways, generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot will come into their own. Tom Nall, Global Manufacturing and Automotive Industry Executive at Avanade, an expert in Microsoft technology, explains: “Microsoft Copilot applies an organisation’s data and Microsoft application ecosystem to a large language model. Copilot is a virtual assistant that can help manufacturing professionals complete tasks faster and more efficiently while unlocking insights from across the company’s data assets.”

Top use cases for Microsoft Copilot in manufacturing

There are a number of ways in which Microsoft Copilot can help manufacturers improve their operations and address key industry challenges, based on general use cases for generative AI:

1. Product development. Microsoft Copilot can help manufacturers by proposing designs and recommending the best materials to use to meet cost, sustainability, and durability considerations. For instance, Rockwell Automation, a US provider of industrial automation technology, uses Microsoft Copilot in its FactoryTalk Design Studio. Copilot helps engineers generate code using natural language prompts, automates routine tasks, and improves design efficiency.
2. Supply chain optimisation.  Microsoft Copilot can bring to bear a range of capabilities to help manufacturers mitigate risk, manage their inventory, improve planning, and make informed decisions quickly across the entire supply chain. Nall comments: “Copilot can help manufacturers de-risk their supply chains by helping predict potential disruption so they can put mitigations in place ahead of time.”
3. Workforce empowerment. One of the most compelling use cases for Microsoft Copilot is as a tool to augment and empower workers, providing them with insights and recommendations to help them work faster and smarter. Microsoft and Sight Machine, a manufacturing data platform provider, have partnered on a Factory CoPilot that democratises industrial data through generative AI, making plant data, analytics, and insights easily accessible for all employees.
4. Product optimisation. Manufacturers can also leverage Microsoft Copilot to drive innovation and efficiency across the operational lifecycle of products. Siemens is integrating its Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management with Microsoft Teams and Copilot AI-powered problem reporting and visual quality inspection. For instance, production operatives can use mobile devices to report product design concerns using natural speech. The AI can then automatically summarise and route a report within Teamcenter to the appropriate manufacturing expert.
5. Sales and customer service. In an increasingly competitive industry, manufacturers need up-to-the-minute insights on customer sentiment to help inform sales and marketing efforts. “There’s a clear role for generative AI applications like Microsoft Copilot to help customer segmentation and forecasting as well as in generating creative marketing and sales collateral that engages target audiences,” says Nall.