Manufacturing AIArticle
What manufacturers need before investing in AI pilots
Most failed manufacturing AI pilots fail before they start. The data, the decision, and the team are not aligned with what the pilot is trying to prove.
CrossRoads Practice Team 30 June 2025 6 min read
1. A real operating-data spine
MES exports stitched together at month-end are not a data spine. Real-time output, downtime, quality, and constraint data — modeled consistently across lines — is the minimum bar for a pilot that can be trusted.
2. A decision worth changing
Every pilot should answer: which operating decision changes if the model is right? If the answer is dashboard, the pilot is not ready.
3. A plant team ready to use it
The unsung determinant. If the line leader does not run the daily review off the new view by week six, the pilot will not survive contact with the next shift change.
"If the line leader does not run the daily review off the new view by week six, the pilot will not survive."
Key takeaways
- Pilot on a real operating-data spine, not stitched exports.
- Pin the pilot to one operating decision that will change.
- Win the line leader, or do not start.