Whether it was as CEO and Co-Founder of Process Health pioneers Seebo or now as General Manager of Process Health at Augury, Lior Akavia does not see a difference in his fundamental job description. “My job – and passion – is to help manufacturers do their jobs better by optimizing their production lines through AI. And in the process, I feel a growing sense of both optimism and responsibility.”
The above illustration is courtesy of DALL-E inspired by the words ‘green’, ‘manufacturing’ and ‘future’.
My aim is to have a positive impact. Today, I see my job as helping manufacturers do their jobs better. Why is this important? Because manufacturing is all around us – in terms of the food we eat, the medicines we take, the homes we live in, etcetera.
In short, manufacturing is critical for our health, wellbeing and our ability to live a good life. And any improvements can also have a very dramatic effect on our daily lives – for several reasons.
Three Reasons Why We Need To Help Manufacturers
1) Everything Is Only Getting More Expensive
First off, things are only getting more expensive. The cost of living is becoming too much for too many people. And this inflation relates in many ways to supply chains and, specifically, to manufacturing. And if we can help manufacturers to do their job better, we can lighten the load: making things less expensive and more available to more people.
2) Everyone Deserves a Decent Job
Not all countries are equal. Even within countries, it’s not equal for all people. And as human beings we must all aspire to have a better quality of life for all people. But it’s tricky. Because if we will take the whole world population and magically enable them to live the quality of life many of us enjoy in so-called developed countries, then we need to manufacture dramatically more – more medicine, more food, more cars, more toys. So, we really need to figure this out…
And while manufacturing represents around one-sixth of the world’s economy, it’s not always easy to get a decent job in manufacturing. You need training and skills. And if we can help manufacturers to train people, we help both manufacturers and those looking for a good job. In the process, more people can live better lives.
3) The Earth Is Getting Warmer
Meanwhile, we are all witnessing how the Earth is becoming less livable for us and future generations due to global warming. And manufacturing is a big part of the reason why this is happening. And consumption – due to both population growth and the goal of improving people’s lives overall – will only grow. So, the challenges are only getting larger – with even more inflation waiting in the wings…
Now The Good News…
It’s easy to get cynical. But there’s good news: humanity is pretty good at inventing new stuff – to solve problems through innovation, creativity and technology. That’s what motivates us at Augury. And happily, we are not alone. We are part of a larger team of scientists, engineers and designers who while working at different companies are all still working to confront these very important challenges.
Yet, in terms of pure potential impact, we are in a rather unique position at Augury. As the global leader in manufacturing AI, we can empower manufacturers to do their jobs at maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
Knowledge is Power: From Understanding Yields To Explaining Emissions
To give a concrete example… When we start working with a chemical manufacturer, we see how their emissions are fuzzy and unpredictable – and the team there cannot fully explain why. But once we install our Process Health solution, and let the AI figure it out, you realize there are very clear explanations. Our human brains are simply not built to digest so many dynamic parameters simultaneously. But when armed with the right AI-induced insights, you can simply change the process settings to decrease emissions.
We see similar results with food manufacturers where the amount of required raw materials to produce the end product is very variable. No one knows the exact reason – until we run the AI and you realize there are very clear reasons for this volatility. And by adjusting your process settings, you can save food – and feed more people in the process.
Snowballing Sustainability
And the beautiful thing is most of our clients are not adopting our solution for their impact on sustainability, but because of the financial gains brought on by the increase in yield and quality and the reduction in waste and energy use.
By realizing that technology can have such a dramatic effect on both the environment and the bottom line, we and our partners have only become more optimistic – while also feeling more responsibility since we know the real-world impact our particular solutions can have.
Of course, we can’t do it alone. We need others to come up with their own game-changing technologies that help prevent global warming. We need those manufacturing visionaries – may it be the VP of Manufacturing or the operator on the line – to deploy these technologies in-house. Regulators are required to help boost the use of these technologies. Investors are needed to push a company’s board towards a more sustainable direction. Etcetera…
At one point, all these efforts – both intrinsic and extrinsic – will snowball and make manufacturing continually greener. We all have our part to play. So let’s get to work.
Learn more about how Augury is powering sustainability for the manufacturing industry.
