Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 2, 2023 31 FOCUS: MANUFACTURING GENERAL CONTRACTING • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT • DESIGN BUILD PARTNER 21 DEMING ROAD, BERLIN, CT 06037 • (860) 610-1093 • WWW.OLSENCS.COM NEW CONSTRUCTION • TENANT FIT OUT • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE • HEALTHCARE The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hart- ford has been working with colleges and the state's smaller manufacturers to develop AI models and machine- learning algorithms that compa- nies can adopt and use on their shop floors, said Jackie Garofano, CCAT's chief technology officer. CCAT is also helping Pietro Rosa further develop its newly acquired AI technology for use in the U.S. "We have workforce challenges that we all know and recognize and are trying to tackle, and leveraging these tech- nologies is one way to get there," Garofano said. "As an R&D center, we want to create turnkey solutions to then put onto the shop floor." Machine maintenance is another current AI use. UConn's Bollas said he's been working with CCAT, CONNSTEP and his engineering students on ways to train AI so it can detect when machines aren't operating at their full capacity. Companies can use AI to under- stand and predict when a machine needs maintenance or upgrades, potentially preventing situations where assembly lines go offline for long periods of time, he said. Future of manufacturing Orszak said he thinks of AI as a "longer play" of Industry 4.0, a term used to describe the ongoing automa- tion and technological advancement of traditional manufacturing practices. "My feeling is that AI adoption will really kick in after five to 10 years, and what companies need to start doing now is build a data strategy so that they have an understanding of the data they're collecting and have put together the information that an AI model can use," Orszak said. "My message for companies is that these are going to be the productiv- ity-increasing methods of the future, so companies need to start building strategies to put them in place." Orszak and Garofano emphasized that not all AI models can be repli- cated across different companies — a machine shop building aerospace parts might need a different algo- rithm than a company that develops medical equipment. And not all companies have the capacity to develop AI algorithms inter- nally, making collaboration important. "The challenge is more about closing that gap between technology that's been developed in a higher-ed institution and the technologies that can be deployed at a small manu- facturing shop," Bollas said. "If there are three people that run around and have to produce 1,000 components by the end of the day, they don't have time to develop AI algorithms." Data security is also a concern, especially for companies experi- menting with generative AI systems that are available in the public domain. For example, New England Airfoil Products plans to implement R-Tree's AI technology after it develops a "shielded version" that protects the information of its aerospace and defense customers, Cunliffe said. CCAT is also helping with that. Regardless of the industry, adopting new technologies will be key to driving future business growth, said Lavoie, the state's chief manu- facturing officer. "We're never solving the workforce challenge with people — there's never going to be enough people," Lavoie said. "If we don't look at indus- trial automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, we're going to lose significant amounts of GDP growth and manufacturing here in the state and country." Jackie Garofano Clive Cunliffe is the North American president of Italian manufacturer Pietro Rosa, which owns Farmington-based New England Airfoil Products. HBJ FILE PHOTO

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