Not a human in sight…

The manufacturing industry is booming — and it’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Thankfully, this is good news for everyone. In 2016, manufacturers contributed an estimated $2.25 trillion to the US economy, accounting for approximately 11.7% of GDP in the economy. In addition, for every $1 spent on manufacturing, another $1.89 is added to the economy.

The development of machine learning has greatly increased the efficiency of manufacturing operations. In particular, this innovative technology is beneficial for automating the factories that can leverage it to build new products.

What is Machine Learning?

First and foremost, it’s important to clarify that machine learning and artificial intelligence do not refer to the same thing.

Modern artificial intelligence allows a computer to ‘perform’ tasks that only humans can do (e.g., speech recognition, decision making, etc.), albeit much faster and with pinpoint accuracy.

Machine learning (ML), on the other hand, is a specific type of artificial intelligence that builds new analytical models by finding connections between large quantities of data on its own.

ML has the potential to automate tasks and offer creative insights over a large range of different disciplines, from healthcare to supply chain management to — you guessed it — construction.

The Rise in Automation

Robot production is increasing and prices are falling.

Over the past 30 years, robot prices have fallen by about half — and they’ve fallen even further relative to labor costs. Technology continues to become cheaper, faster, and more flexible with each passing year.

Elon Musk himself said, “robots will be able to do everything better than us.”

As a result, it’s hardly surprising that the whole world is experiencing a sharp rise in automation across virtually every industry imaginable.

Some of the most prominent, obvious examples are the likes of customer self-service, such as self-checkouts and kiosks at retail locations.

There areeven the likes of the Amazon Go stores that allow customers to simply walk in, take a product they like, and walk right out of the store without having to use a checkout or stand in line. When you’ve left the store, Amazon will send you a receipt and charge your account.

To make this possible, the company has created its own ‘Just Walk Out’ technology that automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to shelves.

However, the manufacturing industry, in particular, is one that is already experiencing some of the most dramatic changes.

How Automation is Transforming Factories Today

Automation is already here, and it’s already transforming factories all over the world.

The Robots That Build Robots

There’s even a Fanuc plant in Oshino, Japan, where industrial robots are responsible for building industrial robots.

Approximately 80% of the company’s assembly work is completely automated, and only four employees are needed to supervise a shift. The $50 billion company boasts 40% profit margins, and some of their major clients include Amazon and Tesla.

The Next Generation of Building Materials

Our company, XMaterials, is also using automation in our factories to get ahead.

We’re currently tackling the $600 billion construction industry by leveraging a mixture of AI-generated recipes and the latest machine learning technology to create a brand new generation of building materials.

These materials are set to be stronger, more affordable, faster to produce, longer lasting, and more eco-friendly than the building materials we currently use.

The production process consists of three separate parts.

Firstly there is DigiLab, the AI technology that runs algorithms to create the best, most efficient ‘recipes’ that can be customized according to your needs.

Next, HyperCon, a sophisticated piece of machine learning technology, analyzes recipes created by DigitLab, makes them more efficient, and then actually creates them. What once took the effort of 31 workers can now be done with only five workers.

Finally, The Blueprint establishes the exact specifications for the machinery’s positioning, modifications, and the best way to operate it. This also enables our franchise model, which is essential in order to share XMaterials with the rest of the world.

Within six months, we have already blasted through the $2 million mark. Within three years, we aim to have made $70 million, and within five years, we expect to surpass the $500 million mark.

Automation is Already a Part of Our Everyday Lives

The automation of many industries is happening so slowly that we’re not even realizing it. But it’s here — and it’s here to stay.

It’s still early days, but if technology keeps progressing at its current rate, the world in five years’ time will look very different to the one we’re living in today.

Automated factories are just the beginning.