Alice Chambers |
Michael Schleuss, Microsoft lead at Avanade, chaired a panel session on the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption in the industry on the Microsoft booth at Hannover Messe. The panellists included Bart Kerkhofs, vice president of IT at Bridgestone for EMEA, Stefan Soutschek, vice president of digitalisation and operations IT at Schaeffler and Monica Ugwi, general manager of Copilot and agents at Microsoft.
The session began with Schleuss highlighting that although 95 per cent of manufacturers feel comfortable applying AI for automotive decision-making, navigating the complexities of integrating AI into legacy operations remains a challenge.
Ugwi emphasised that data security is at the forefront of customer concerns.
“What customers are looking for starts with secure data,” she said. Ensuring a solid foundation for secure data handling is essential for AI-driven transformation.
She positioned Microsoft as the “platform of platforms,” enabling manufacturers to build on its technology and create solutions that align with their operational needs.
AI-powered agents present a “great opportunity”, according to Ugwi, to address workforce shortages while improving efficiency and cost management.
Soutschek then shared insights on Schaeffler’s approach to AI implementation: “In the beginning, it’s about data.”
Managing data from up to 7,000 machines introduced challenges for Schaeffler around storage and data quality. Overcoming these hurdles was key to successfully leveraging AI, particularly in classical AI applications like vision AI.
Kerkhofs agreed that there are various complexities that come with modernising operations.
“Fixing our foundations has been a challenge,” he said. “Many of our plants have grown in siloes and in competition with each other. Unifying that data is difficult.” However, AI’s momentum acts as a “mirror”, according to Kekhofs, reflecting necessary investments that businesses might have been delaying.
A recurring theme in the discussion was the disconnect between IT and operational technology (OT). “The lifecycle of IT and OT are out of sync,” said Kekhofs, explaining that while IT evolves rapidly, OT often lags behind, with some machines operating unchanged for decades.
Schleuss reinforced this point: “Some machines have been running for 40 years and no one dares touch them.”
The panel agreed that this disparity complicates digital transformation efforts, requiring a careful balance between modernisation and operational continuity.
The session also highlighted how AI adoption require more than just technology; it demands a cultural shift.
“Some guys have been married to their processes longer than to their wives,” joked Schleuss when explaining the resistance to change in manufacturing.
Soutschek responded with change management being a “team job” and that manufacturers need to “find the right places to start.”
Training and user-driven learning were identified as critical factors for successful AI adoption.
“Make the topic of digital change visible,” he advised. “Allow the people who are interested to try it out, allow them to fail and learn, and take the best out of it.”
Kerkhofs added that “it’s not just a technology revolution; it’s also a society revolution”, explaining how Bridgestone’s transition to paperless operations has already demonstrated how digital transformation can enhance productivity and efficiency on the shop floor.
Ultimately, the first step in AI adoption is connecting employees to technology in ways that are meaningful to them. “You have to start from the users,” said Ugwi. “Microsoft’s success comes from user understanding.”
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