High expectations
By taking part in this AIMM lab, Marel expects to be able to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for education, engineers and expertise in the field of AI. “Backed by our experience in system engineering and our close relationship with TU/e, we have high expectations of this collaboration. I can think of various practical applications of AI in our food processing systems,” says Liliane de Nie, Innovation Director at Marel. “The lab’s research will allow us to make considerable progress on high-tech areas which are crucial to our industry, such as robotics, guaranteed machine performance, and man-machine interaction. When it comes to servicing our customers, adding AI to our programs will help us in optimizing the corrective, preventive and predictive maintenance strategies. We’ll be able to utilize our maintenance concept to its full potential in the market.”
Decision-making
Jeroen van Oers, Manufacturing Director at Marel adds, “In our manufacturing environment, we have to deal with complex decision-making processes. Just one example: customer demand for our parts is an almost unpredictable, constantly changing mix. So, we have to decide on the best way of sourcing this demand. Also, we need the flexibility to keep our supply base performances stable under varying circumstances. To that effect, we have to develop our supply base and utilize our machines to the max. Our participation in the AIMM lab will allow us to call in AI and help us solve these kinds of issues.”
Liliane de Nie concludes, “This is another excellent collaboration between Marel and TU/e and we’re already excited about the joint AI research.”