See Your Manufacturing Operations in a New Light: The Power of Computer Vision

1. Introduction

The manufacturing sector is responsible for ~20% of the jobs in the world. The primary challenge that manufacturing companies face, in the past, present, and future, is the need to remain competitive by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing product quality. Computer vision (CV) technology has emerged as a solution to address many of these challenges. In this article, we will explore the use of computer vision in manufacturing and discuss its benefits, practical tips, and unique content to help you implement this technology in your business.

2. Challenge

Manufacturing companies often face challenges in maintaining the quality of their products, optimizing their processes, and managing the increasing amount of data generated by their operations. These challenges require a significant amount of time and resources to address, which can impact their overall efficiency and competitiveness. Additionally, it can be challenging for manufacturing companies to identify issues and bottlenecks in their operations and implement solutions quickly.

3. Benefits

By leveraging computer vision solutions, manufacturing companies can benefit in several ways. Firstly, computer vision can help in identifying defects and quality issues in real-time, reducing the need for manual inspection and improving overall product quality - we have seen companies doubling their first pass yield within weeks. Secondly, computer vision, coupled with no-code platforms can be used to augment workers in discrete assembly lines, optimize manufacturing processes by identifying bottlenecks, and therefore increase throughput. But computer vision use is not limited to these use cases, it can be leveraged for OCR, document understanding, object counting, line clearance, event detection, understanding people, safety improvements, continuous time studies, and much more.?

According to new research, the computer vision market in the manufacturing industry is expected to grow from $6.6 billion in 2020 to $11.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 12.4%.

4. Practical tips on Computer Vision in Manufacturing

To implement computer vision technology in manufacturing, companies can take the following practical steps:

Define clear use cases and objectives for computer vision in your manufacturing operations by focusing on business value and potential impact.?

Evaluate the available computer vision technologies and vendors to identify the best fit for your use case. Consider, time to value, the complexity of customization, cost, and ease to scale.?

Develop a plan for data collection, processing, and analysis to ensure that the computer vision system is effective. The best way to collect data for training is in production as part of the current process. Quality of image acquisition is key to the project's success.

Train and deploy the computer vision system, ensuring that it is integrated with other systems in your manufacturing operations. Consider edge vs cloud deployment and an attractive and Lean interface (UI/UX) - a good user experience is critical.

Continuously monitor and improve the computer vision system to ensure that it remains effective and delivers the expected benefits. Consider no-code and citizen development approach.?

5. Computer Vision in Manufacturing is a Unique technology

Gartner selected Edge computer vision as the top technology on the technology radar this year (2023) and for a good reason.? A unique aspect of computer vision in manufacturing is the ability to implement it across a wide range of applications. In addition, computer vision is advancing quickly toward democratization with better tools than ever before - tools that enable process engineers to build CV applications with limited data science knowledge or coding skills. Last, the edge deployment of computer vision has been reducing costs dramatically, making many new use cases affordable.?

6. Conclusion

Computer vision is a game-changer for manufacturing companies, helping them improve product quality, optimize processes, and reduce costs. By leveraging computer vision technology, companies can stay competitive in an increasingly challenging marketplace. By following the practical tips and unique content discussed in this article, manufacturing companies can successfully implement computer vision technology in their operations and achieve real business benefits.

7. Call to Action

If you're a manufacturing company looking to implement computer vision technology, start by identifying the use cases where it can provide the most benefit to your operations. Consider the available technologies and vendors and develop a plan to integrate computer vision into your manufacturing processes. With the right approach (citizen developer), computer vision can help significantly improve product quality and yield.