New year, new world: 2023 trends in quality control automation & beyond

We’re looking ahead to a fresh new year in a world that has been fully reshaped by various global crises. Technologies once considered emergent are fast becoming a lifeline for companies navigating a transformed reality. So what trends are dominating 2023? This is my take:

Money awareness

We’re all feeling the squeeze: soaring energy prices, inflation and rising shipping costs changed the financial math for individuals and businesses in 2022. Life is becoming more expensive, both on the consumer side and upstream: every link in the supply chain seems to be getting pricier. This forces companies and governments to keep raising wages so that people can keep up with rising costs, which isn’t sustainable.

Everyone in the supply chain, from the supplier to the consumer, has to take a step back and re-evaluate how to get the most value out of every cent. We need to prioritize what we are spending on. Entrepreneurs need to run their businesses in the most lean and mean way possible. That makes automation and data more essential than ever. Data gives you insight into what you’re spending and where your money is going.

Automation no longer just for early adopters

In past years we had the front runners, the early adopters who want to be the first to jump on the bandwagon of automation. Now everyone who thought it was a bit premature to focus on automation is starting to realize that they might really need it, especially with the difficulty in recruiting people these days. They are starting to feel the talent crunch.

The lower income workers who stayed away during COVID are slowly returning to work. Now the battle for labor is focused on middle management, where there is a real shortage. The only thing factories can do to tackle the problem is to get more efficient. Automation is being used more and more to help relieve middle management staffing issues.

When we say automation, we’re also talking about AI. I don’t think a single industry is going to be left out of the AI revolution. At Qcify we have always had the vision of building something that replaces people in some roles while assisting them in others, creating new jobs that harness the unique qualities of humans.

Data has proven its worth

Nowadays there is more and more appetite for data, because data drives decision-making. Last year we were preaching the value of data during our missionary rounds. Now customers contact us spontaneously on what our data can do for them, wanting to know more about what data our machines help them access. There is a heightened awareness of the power data holds.?

I think more data-driven solutions will be rolled out this year. Everyone wants solutions that are more accessible and simpler. Data helps achieve that. It helps build the right products. Again, something that benefits everyone in the supply chain.

In 2023 and beyond, companies that refuse to invest in optimizing their businesses will make way for companies that embrace the opportunities of automation to help them survive and thrive. That may be the most important trend of all!