To address the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI), The right place Manufacturer Advice has launched an AI roadmap to guide local manufacturers through this complex and rapidly evolving technology landscape.
The initiative is based on the Council’s recognition that AI is becoming increasingly important and that a framework is needed to help companies navigate these uncharted waters.
The Manufacturers Council presented the AI roadmap on August 14. The document will be presented at the upcoming Grand Rapids Technology WeekThe multi-day event from September 16 to 21 is intended to showcase the region’s tech community.
“When we revised our vision and mission, AI became a central theme,” says Chris Bardeggia, vice president of operations excellence at Steelcase and chair of the Manufacturers Council. “We surveyed our members and found that while they were very interested in AI, they ranked it as the area in which they had the least experience.”
This knowledge gap underscored the need for a comprehensive strategy. To address it, the council partnered with Twisthink, a Grand Rapids-based company specializing in strategy and product innovation. Twisthink’s human-centered approach helped ensure that the 70+ page roadmap was not only technically sound but also tailored to the real needs of manufacturers.
Courtesy of The Right PlaceRandy Thelen discusses The Right Place’s AI roadmap during the group’s Makers Council on August 14.
Consideration of the needs of manufacturers
“We designed the project to develop a roadmap for AI. To do this, we first started with the manufacturers to find out who they are, what their problems are, and also to explore ideas they already had in mind about how AI could be used,” says Taryn Kutches, Vice President of Brand and Business Development at Rotating thinking.
Over several months, Twisthink led workshops to gather perspectives from more than 60 manufacturers and identify common themes, opportunities and innovative concepts.
The roadmap that emerged from this collaborative process offers two distinct paths. The first path focuses on individual companies and helps them identify where AI can be implemented in their specific operations. The roadmap breaks down the opportunities into three key areas: proactive workforce development, optimized manufacturing systems, and predictive business intelligence.
In the area of proactive workforce development, for example, AI can improve recruiting processes, drive data-driven talent decisions, and develop predictive work planning models.
Courtesy of The Right PlaceThe Right Place Manufacturers Council presented the AI roadmap on August 14.
“There is often a concern that AI will eliminate the human factor in hiring, but we see that AI can actually serve as an assistant and help better match candidates to the needs of the company,” says Brad Comment, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at The right place.
The second path outlined in the roadmap is more collective, encouraging regional collaboration between manufacturers. This approach is designed to benefit not only individual companies but the entire region, fostering an ecosystem where AI is embraced and supported.
“This roadmap is intended to be a tool for action, not just information,” emphasizes Comment. “We’ve provided worksheets for each section so manufacturers can work with their teams to figure out where and how they can use AI. At The Right Place, we have resources and experts ready to provide companies with the tools and support they need.”
Promote the first step
Twisthink’s approach ensures that the roadmap is both practical and forward-thinking. By helping companies identify their unique needs and match them with actionable AI opportunities, the roadmap aims to give companies the confidence to begin their AI journey, despite the uncertainty that often comes with new technologies.
“I hope it motivates people to put AI into action,” says Kutches. “There’s a lot of talk and debate about it, but it’s scary to start because you don’t know anything yet. We hope the AI roadmap gives people enough confidence to get started.”
Kutches praised the region for its initiative regarding the roadmap.
“If we could give regional organizations one important lesson, it would be this: Just get started. You have to develop an experimental attitude towards AI. The longer you wait, the further behind you will be in two, three or five years.”
Bardeggia says the roadmap is intended to ease some of the fears surrounding AI and provide perspective on what West Michigan can accomplish as a region.
“Most importantly, we want to offer an onboarding path that is accessible to companies of all sizes, whether they have experience with AI or not. We try to provide enough entry points to the roadmap so that companies can understand who they are, where they stand and what they should do next,” says Bardeggia.
He adds that his employer, Steelcase, has already started integrating AI into its operations, exploring its potential in manufacturing, gaining insights into sales and optimizing pricing strategies. Bardeggia stressed the importance of sharing these experiences to help other companies understand the concrete benefits of AI.
SStriving for individual and regional success
Bardeggia and the Council are keen to ensure that the roadmap helps businesses become more successful while fostering a collaborative environment where regional growth is a common goal.
“We see this as a two-step thing,” explains Bardeggia. “We want to help companies become more successful, and we believe AI can be an enabler in that. But we also want the region to become more independent and able to request help from within our region. If each of us goes our own way without benefiting the region, we don’t consider that a success. And if the region becomes a hub but individual members aren’t successful, that’s not a success either. We’re trying to reconcile the two.”
Both Bardeggia and Comment see the AI roadmap as an opportunity for other manufacturers to join, regardless of where they are on their AI journey. The roadmap identifies different phases – Experimenter, Integrator, Collaborator and Champion – so companies can find the right starting point and gradually increase their competency in using AI.
Comment and Bardeggia say the roadmap is expected to evolve as local manufacturers implement AI and share their experiences.
“This will be a living document,” says Comment. “We want to continually update it with examples from local companies so that manufacturers can learn from each other. The willingness to collaborate is one of the great strengths of our region and this roadmap is designed to use that spirit of collaboration to help all of our manufacturers succeed.”
