For years, the prevailing wisdom has been that automation is best suited for high-volume, low-mix manufacturing environments. But as Josh Gruenstein, co-founder and CEO of Tutor Intelligence, explained on a recent episode of the Manufacturing Executive Podcast, advances in artificial intelligence are turning that notion on its head.

“What’s changing, I think, which is really exciting, is everybody else – which is most of the manufacturing,” Gruenstein said. “The strength of most American manufacturers is that they can handle an enormous amount of variability, and they can deliver that value to their customers. They can take an order that’s different, and they can fulfil that order, and they can respond to a dynamic supply chain.”

Gruenstein, a self-described “robot kid” who has been passionate about robotics since the age of eight, founded Tutor Intelligence to bring AI-powered robots to manufacturers grappling with this variability. By leveraging machine learning and computer vision, Tutor’s robots can adapt to frequently changing instructions and requirements, making automation feasible for high-mix, low-volume operations.

One example Gruenstein shared was a co-packer for a Fortune 500 food brand that used Tutor’s robots to automate the packing of display shippers. “The instructions on what exactly you’re building, that’s going to come from marketing. That’s going to change. You’re going to do changeover daily or multiple times daily,” he explained. “And you can have robots that can react to that and start to automate huge fractions of the work that you were previously doing.”

This marks a significant shift from the traditional approach to robot programming, which relies on robotic engineers to develop specific routines for each task. With AI-driven automation, robots can receive high-level instructions and figure out how to execute them autonomously.

With AI, you can move to a world of, no, there’s no programming. The system is not going to run your program. It’s instead, you just tell it, what is the thing I want? And then the robot just figures that out. And that’s, I think, alien and unexpected to a lot of people in this industry that that’s now possible – and not only is it possible, it’s a lot better.

This paradigm shift is enabling manufacturers to realize the benefits of automation without the bottleneck of specialized programming expertise. But the value proposition goes beyond just filling labor shortages or enabling reshoring. Gruenstein emphasized that robots can drive holistic improvements, from operational savings and process enhancements to worker safety and upskilling opportunities.

To make these benefits more accessible, Tutor Intelligence offers a robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model. Rather than requiring significant upfront capital expenditures, RaaS allows manufacturers to deploy robots with reduced risk and greater flexibility.

“One relatively recent change is, it used to be that robots-as-a-service meant a long-term contract,” Gruenstein noted. “Especially with AI, you could have a general robot where, you know, maybe the robot working in a 3PL doing some job is the same robot hardware that’s working in a contract manufacturer and a co-packer. These contracts don’t need to necessarily work that way.”

For manufacturers interested in exploring AI-powered robotics, Gruenstein encouraged reaching out to Tutor Intelligence for guidance and advice. “We’re always happy to meet new manufacturers, co-packers, 3PLs, who are thinking through, how do they navigate this new technology. How do they begin their automation journey?” he said. “And hopefully, we can help you with robots. And even if we can’t, we’re always happy to provide advice.”

As the manufacturing landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: AI-powered robots are no longer just for the high-volume, low-mix world. With innovators like Josh Gruenstein and Tutor Intelligence leading the charge, the future of automation looks brighter – and more adaptable – than ever.

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