How AI Can Empower SMEs in Manufacturing

Written by John Cameron, Managing Director of CB Technology

19 March 2024

RECENT developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have revolutionised almost every industry, from digital and creative sectors to more traditional disciplines like manufacturing. Generative AI, made popular by the boom of ChatGPT in late 2022, is at the heart of it which is forecasted to reach £1 billion by 2032.

As Scotland’s leading independent EMS manufacturer, CB Technology is always keen to stay abreast of the latest developments in new technologies and see how these can be integrated into our operations. That’s why we hosted a workshop on the use of AI for all our colleagues at our offices in Livingston and invited AI expert Stephen Whitelaw to address this subject.

Stephen’s workshop highlighted the range of AI tools currently available on the market. It stimulated discussions with the CB team on utilising them to enhance decision-making and drive business efficiencies while improving employee and customer experiences. A key output from the workshop was collecting and ranking ideas and opportunities that will form the basis of the company’s plan for AI going forward. 

The main theme to come out of Stephen’s workshop was that organisations and people must not fear AI, rather, we should embrace it as an aid to improving business performance and job satisfaction. The following quote from Stephen struck a chord with the CB team and has become our internal rallying call around AI, “you shouldn’t fear that AI will take away your jobs, however, if you ignore AI, you may find that competitors who embrace it could achieve advantages and efficiencies that will make them harder to compete with. This should be enough to stimulate any forward-thinking company into embracing AI”.

As an organisation, CB Technology has just scratched the surface in our quest to discover how AI will improve our operations. We welcome our employees, customers and suppliers to join us on this journey and refine our capabilities of using AI to our mutual advantage.