If you’re heading to MD&M South 2026 in Charlotte next week, we’ll be on the Advanced Manufacturing Stage on Wednesday April 22. Our Software Engineer and Solutions Specialist Tom McQuade will be co-presenting with Jeff Gentry, Staff Engineer of Global Operations at Shaw Industries, in a session titled “From Pilot to Plant: A Real-World Journey […]
AI pallet verification is solving one of the most stubborn problems in high-volume manufacturing: the loading dock. Manual barcode scanning is slow, error-prone, and hard to staff — and errors don’t surface until a customer calls weeks later. This post covers how Shaw Industries, a $7B flooring manufacturer, partnered with Accella AI to deploy an
TL;DR Deploying AI on the shop floor is proving harder than the level of industry investment suggests. Manufacturers continue to prioritize smart manufacturing and digital tools, yet production-scale artificial intelligence (AI) adoption remains uneven across plants and sectors. Recent data show both trends at once: strong planned spending on smart manufacturing, but still relatively modest
Deploying AI on the Shop Floor: Why Spending Is Rising Faster Than Deployment Read More »
TL;DR: AI and labor in manufacturing are increasingly shaped by a structural labor shortage, not just by whether the sector is up or down in a given quarter. Official data show U.S. manufacturing ended 2025 in contraction, while industry outlooks point to possible improvement in 2026. At the same time, manufacturers still face a long-term
AI and Labor in Manufacturing: Is the Party Starting or Are We Still in the Ditch? Read More »
TL;DR: • Real-time pass/fail and defect categorization belong on the edge – there’s no time budget for the cloud at 1,000–1,500 parts/minute and 40–50 ms end-to-end cycles. • Edge also reduces cyber-risk by closing unnecessary external connections for real-time decisions and improves resilience by isolating failures to a single line/device. • Deep, cross-line analytics can
TL;DR:The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) is the world’s first comprehensive, horizontal AI law. It applies even to non-EU companies whenever AI systems or their outputs are used in the EU. Core rules roll out in phases through 2026–2027, with outright bans on certain practices already in force. Penalties
The EU AI Act and What It Means for US Manufacturers Read More »
Or Why AI Is No Longer Optional in Manufacturing In the guest post for AIJournal, “AI in Manufacturing: Competitive Advantage Today, Necessity Tomorrow,” Uli Palli, CEO & CTO of Accella AI, argues that while AI once offered an early-adopter edge, it’s quickly turning into a basic requirement for remaining competitive in the field of manufacturing. Manufacturers already
AI in Manufacturing: A Competitive Advantage Today, Necessity Tomorrow Read More »
TL;DR: We’re adding “Made with AI” labels to images to make our use of generative tools transparent without cluttering the design. The post explains when a label appears (fully generated vs. AI-edited), where we place it, and how we balance clarity, accessibility, and brand consistency—plus what this means for future visuals. I am old enough
Why You’ll See “Made with AI” on Some of Our Images Read More »
ValiantCEO recently sat down with Uli Palli, CEO and CTO of Accella AI, to talk about how the company is shaping the future of AI in manufacturing. With over 25 years of experience working with leading companies like Cisco, HP, NetApp, and Levi Strauss, Uli shares his journey from growing up near Austria’s steel and coal
Accella AI Interview: with Uli Palli: AI Solutions for Manufacturing Read More »
TL;DR:Manufacturers that move beyond isolated AI pilots and are looking to scaling Ai in manufacturing and building internal AI capabilities are turning AI from an experiment into a core operational tool. Scaled deployments in visual inspection, predictive maintenance, and process optimization deliver measurable gains in yield, quality, and uptime—shifting AI from a temporary competitive edge
Scaling AI in Manufacturing: From Competitive Edge to Industry Standard Read More »
A while ago we wrote a blog about how classic AI e.g. machine Learning (ML) is ready for prime time on the shopfloor while generative AI will need a little while longer to be mature enough to be deployed in manufacturing itself. However, if you work in and with AI everyday, there is no way
Generative AI Helps Promote Classic AI Read More »
TL;DR:AI is reshaping manufacturing by attacking long-standing pain points like slow, error-prone manual quality control and costly unplanned downtime. In visual inspection, machine learning models trained on examples of good and defective parts can work around the clock with consistent high accuracy, adapt to changing conditions, and run on relatively low-cost cameras—making in-line, multi-step quality
Interview – How AI Is Disrupting Our Industry? Read More »