Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming every industry, and manufacturing is no exception. At Reata Engineering, we’ve seen firsthand how manufacturing AI can drive efficiency and insight; however, we have also identified where it doesn’t belong.
As a Colorado machine shop built on human expertise, we’re embracing AI carefully, applying it where it adds real value while keeping people at the center of everything we do.
How Reata Uses Manufacturing AI Today
In a modern precision machine shop, repetitive tasks can consume valuable time. For instance, on the purchasing end, creating and tracking purchase orders used to require hours of manual data entry. However, we’ve been able to automate much of that process, allowing our team to focus on higher-value work, like vendor analysis and cost optimization, that require a human brain.
Our AI systems analyze part pricing, vendor performance, lead times, and other factors to identify opportunities for savings and supply chain improvement. This allows us to secure better pricing and faster turnaround times for our customers. Instead of spending the day generating POs, our buyers now spend their time strengthening supplier relationships and improving performance metrics.
Integrating AI into shop operations
Reata is exploring AI-driven internal systems that connect our digital tools, such as Paperless Parts (our quoting platform) and Fulcrum (our ERP and production tracking system). For instance, our quoting team leverages an AI assistant to update quotes, generate POs, pull data on similar past projects, and perform other tasks that would otherwise require manual entry.
These AI integrations free up time for our quoting, engineering, production, and quality teams to focus on value-added work, such as further optimizing processes or connecting with customers to provide Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback.
By automating the “busywork,” our employees can dedicate more energy to complex, creative problem-solving that ultimately benefits our customers.
Where AI Doesn’t Fit at Reata
While manufacturing AI tools are powerful, they don’t belong everywhere.
AI does a great job of streamlining backend tasks, but it cannot replace human communication, especially with our customers. Our customers value direct conversations with our sales professionals and engineers, not automated agents. Because in nitty-gritty conversations about tight tolerancing for aerospace machining components or ultra-precise requirements for medical components, trust and understanding come from real people.
While there might be an opportunity to leverage AI for simple, one-off updates to our customers, automation will never replace the thoughtful, genuine collaboration we’re known for at Reata. Relationships are everything to our customers and our success, and no algorithm can replicate that.
Our Philosophy on AI: Responsible Experimentation
When it comes to AI or any method of process optimization, you don’t know what works until you try. We test new tools constantly, and while some become indispensable, others don’t deliver the data or insights we need; it’s truly a process of experimentation and refinement.
We’ve learned that the true power of manufacturing AI lies in its ability to cut through repetitive tasks and highlight patterns we might miss. It essentially acts as an assistant that provides us with the right insight to think more strategically and make data-driven decisions related to resource allocation and production scheduling.
This technology has the potential to amplify human expertise, not replace it.
A quick word for our AI skeptics
Every new technology has faced skepticism at first: the internet, automobiles, even the telephone! But as history has shown, innovation will win when it adds tangible value. Manufacturing AI is no different.
Here’s how we see it: companies that avoid AI could risk being left behind. Meanwhile, manufacturers that embrace it thoughtfully, like Reata, can use it to elevate people and processes.
If this resonates with you, don’t hesitate to connect with our team or request a quote to get started on your next project.