Industry leaders discuss the immediate impact of connected-worker systems and AI on manufacturing, offering insights into accelerating profits and efficiency.

Tech companies constantly offer new systems to manufacturers, promising increased productivity, lower costs, less scrap and higher profits. But, some of those shiny new items takes years to show a return if they ever do.

IndustryWeek Senior Technology Editor Dennis Scimeca posted this basic problem to analysts on a live conversation on Dec. 12, asking what systems show results fast, especially for smaller manufacturers that may not have the time and money to plan for a multi-year return rate.

Two key candidates for quick returns? Connected-worker systems that provide more information and instructions to people on the front lines, getting the work done. Using employees' existing phones or inexepensive tablets, such systems can reduce manual data entry, improving the quality of information collected. And, they can provide workers with the key information needed to get work done well.

Another up-and-coming tech: artificial intelligence. AI was the darling of the tech world in 2024, but that attention shouldn't overshadow its potential impact on the factory floor. Artificial agents will very specific, narrow tasks to eliminate data-entry and observational steps in the manufacturing process, streamlining things for the people on the floor.