One signal

Graco is using AI agents to gather manufacturing data and analyse operational dashboards, according to Angie Wordell, the company’s chief operations and supply chain officer. She says the work also includes maintenance, testing and first-pass yield initiatives.

Wordell told Assembly that Graco focuses on specific problems where better data could improve decisions, rather than adopting AI for its own sake. She also warned that poor-quality input data can undermine the results. It’s a grounded look at AI in factory operations: useful tasks, but no claim that deployment is quick or the returns are already proven.

Discuss: Should manufacturers start with small, measurable AI projects, or invest in broader systems before they know which use cases will pay off?

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