Augmentir welcomes Mike Carroll to our Board of Advisors! Mike is widely recognized as an industry trailblazer and visionary, with a proven track record of driving innovation, industrial transformation, and AI strategy.
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We’re excited to welcome Mike Carroll to Augmentir’s Board of Advisors!
A recognized leader in industrial operations, digital innovation, and workforce strategy, Mike brings decades of experience driving transformation across manufacturing and industrial enterprises.
Widely regarded as an industry visionary, Mike most recently served as Vice President of Innovation at Georgia-Pacific, where he led transformative initiatives across the company and its parent, Koch Industries. His leadership in AI strategy, operational excellence, and workforce enablement makes him a powerful addition to Augmentir as we continue to grow our AI-powered connected worker platform — helping manufacturers tackle their most critical workforce challenges.
A Career at the Intersection of Manufacturing, Innovation, and Industrial Transformation
Mike’s career spans key leadership roles where he has helped organizations modernize operations by aligning people, process, and technology. At Georgia-Pacific, he led enterprise-wide efforts in operations, engineering, and manufacturing excellence, creating more adaptive, future-ready workforces.
His expertise extends beyond technology adoption — encompassing workplace modernization and the human side of digital transformation. These experiences make him a valuable voice in the evolving conversation about the future of work.
Why This Matters Now
Manufacturing is undergoing a seismic shift. With aging workforces, widening skills gaps, labor shortages, and increasing production complexity, manufacturers are being forced to rethink how they engage, support, and train their frontline teams.
At the same time, emerging technologies like AI, connected worker platforms, and intelligent automation are opening new opportunities — but only when implemented with real-world operational understanding.
That’s where Mike’s experience is invaluable. Having led transformation initiatives from within the industry, he brings both a strategic lens and practical wisdom to ensure that workforce transformation remains central to industrial innovation.
Mike has a unique ability to connect operational goals with frontline execution. His strategic vision and practical insight will be a tremendous asset as we continue helping manufacturers digitize their frontline operations and unlock workforce potential through AI.
We see the future of industrial work now being realized by emerging AI approaches, utilizing generative AI knowledge management, and AI factory agents collaborating alongside humans on the shop floor. Augmentir’s focus on delivering an intelligent frontline operations platform goes beyond visualizing data to actually driving action. It digitally connects people, processes, and systems, enabling proactive management through intelligent workflows, digital task management, and continuous improvement tools. With Augmentir, data isn’t just displayed—it’s used to empower smarter, faster, and more effective operations.
“Augmentir isn’t just another layer of dashboards, it’s goal is to be a unified ‘single pane of glass’ that closes the loop between training and work execution, empowering frontline teams with AI-driven insights and augmented guidance to drive continuous improvement in safety, quality, and productivity. I’m excited to join a company that doesn’t merely digitize processes but learns from every action on the shop floor and delivers in-line support, whether through generative AI assistants or remote expert collaboration, so manufacturers can onboard workers faster, optimize skills, and unlock their full potential.”
– Mike Carroll
Driving the Future of Connected Work
At Augmentir, we’re committed to helping manufacturers digitize and optimize their frontline operations with AI-powered tools for skills management, digital workflows, industrial collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Welcoming Mike Carroll to our Board of Advisors is another step forward in that journey — strengthening our ability to serve manufacturers with both cutting-edge technology and real-world operational insight.
https://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/augmentir-welcomes-mike-carroll-board-of-advisors.webp12602400Russ Fadelhttps://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Augmentir_Logo_Sm-300x169.pngRuss Fadel2025-06-05 13:54:542025-11-27 03:14:25Augmentir Welcomes Mike Carroll to Board of Advisors
Discover how Augmentir’s AI transforms the connected worker journey—boosting training, productivity, and continuous improvement across operations.
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In an era defined by digital transformation and workforce disruption, industrial companies are reimagining how they support their frontline teams. At the heart of this shift is the Connected Worker—a worker empowered by technology to perform safely, efficiently, and with confidence.
But enabling a connected workforce requires more than just digitizing procedures or implementing standalone tools. It demands intelligence embedded throughout the entire worker lifecycle.
That’s where Augmentir’s AI-powered Connected Worker platform shines. By infusing intelligence into every phase of the connected worker journey—from content creation to onboarding, daily operations, and continuous improvement—Augmentir delivers measurable gains in productivity, safety, and workforce engagement.
A Framework for Transformation: The Connected Worker Journey
The Connected Worker Journey consists of four critical, interrelated stages:
Content Conversion & Creation
Worker Onboarding & Training
Operational Excellence
Continuous Improvement
At each phase, Augmentir’s embedded AI transforms outdated processes into intelligent workflows—helping organizations streamline deployment, scale training, and drive continuous value.
Let’s explore how.
1. Content Conversion & Creation
Laying the Foundation for Frontline Intelligence
Deploying modern Connected Worker software delivers ROI through a combination of features that support data collection, compliance, auditability, and data visibility for enabling continuous improvement.
For all companies, the Connected Worker journey begins with transforming legacy documents—SOPs, work instructions, training manuals, checklists, videos, and more—into structured, digital-ready formats that support the requirements above.
This means converting thousands (to tens of thousands) of legacy documents trapped in PDFs, Word docs, Excel files, Powerpoints, videos, and proprietary systems, all while trying to preserve their structure, intent, and compliance relevance. In the past, this process was typically manual, becoming one of the costliest and longest phases in the Connected Worker journey.
Augmentir, even prior to Generative AI (GenAI) era, has been a pioneer in providing tools to significantly reduce this effort even while meeting the three fundamental requirements of conversion:
Maintain the integrity of the form design: the format of legacy documents did not arrive by chance, rather they were the result of serious considerations for human factors. Arbitrarily changing these designs results in significant retraining of the frontline workforce, loss of usability, and potentially, significant operational qualification costs in regulated use cases.
Simplify the addition of data collection: make incorporating data collection throughout the form simple, efficient, and smart. Data collection offers the opportunity for smart validation, data driven conditional workflows, escalation, and continuous improvement.
Embed granular event tracking: Connected Worker ROI depends on the ability to provide compliance and auditability, which is enabled through granular event tracking. Additionally, continuous improvement relies on AI-optimized data from digital time and motion studies, which is automatically captured and processed through Augmentir’s patented True Productivity™ algorithm.
Today, general purpose GenAI tools offer the tantalizing vision that they can transform this process by accelerating the conversion of legacy digital content into, structured content suitable for Connected Worker use cases. There are examples where GenAI has been demonstrated as a general purpose solution to performing these conversions. Unfortunately, in each of the examples that Augmentir has reviewed, these tools met none of the fundamental conversion requirements.
Included in Augmentir’s suite of Industrial GenAI tools, is Augie™ Content Assistant, which is purpose-built for Connected Worker use cases. Augie has been built with domain specific tooling which, when combined with advanced large language models (LLMs), delivers intelligent content that meets the foundational requirements of the Connected Worker space.
With the Augie Content Assistant, Augmentir turns the challenge of content digitization into a fast, AI-driven advantage:
91% faster content conversion: What used to take hours now takes just minutes to convert a single document. When scaled across an organization’s entire repository of SOPs, work instructions, training materials, and more, this reduces the overall content conversion effort from months down to days.
Multi-format compatibility: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, images, and narrated videos are seamlessly converted into native Augmentir content, complete with data collection and high resolution embedded event tracking.
Fidelity preserved: Structure, logic, and intent are maintained through AI-optimized prompts. This ensures that converted content mirrors the original format workers are familiar with—helping reduce change fatigue and making it easier for frontline teams to adopt digital workflows with minimal disruption.
Instant translation: Localize content quickly without compromising compliance or clarity.
This is more than digitization—it’s intelligent transformation that enables data collection, auditability, and operational scalability from day one.
2. Worker Onboarding & Training
Adaptive Support That Accelerates Learning
Once your content foundation is in place, the next challenge is onboarding and upskilling your workforce. Traditional methods are static, generic, and fail to reflect real-time needs.
Tailored workflows: New hires are guided step-by-step based on their role, skill level, and assigned tasks.
Training in the flow of work: Instruction happens in real time, with guidance delivered during actual task execution.
Digital assistants ensure worker safety and compliance: Workers have natural language access to digital assistants to guide and support them while they work—enforcing safety, quality, and best practices.
Continuous adaptation: Augmentir’s True Opportunity™ AI continuously monitors skilling and reskilling performance and adjusts training content based on worker feedback and progression.
This ensures faster ramp-up times, better comprehension, and more confident employees from day one.
3. Operational Excellence
Smarter, Safer, More Productive Frontline Work
With your workforce engaged and trained, the next step is supporting them during everyday operations. Here, Augmentir’s AI becomes a digital copilot—delivering real-time, personalized support in the flow of work.
With your workforce engaged and trained, the next step is supporting them during everyday operations. Here, Augie Work Assistant, which is fully customizable and extensible by customers, becomes a role-specific digital copilot—delivering real-time, personalized support in the flow of work.
Key capabilities include:
Task-specific guidance: Augie delivers insight tailored to the person, the task, and the real-time conditions.
Role-Specific Digital SME: The Augie Work Assistant can be configured at the role level, provides always-on expertise that is tuned to needs to each person in each role—answering questions, flagging issues, and improving accuracy.
AI-powered integration: Embedded AI APIs automate documentation, resolve issues in real time, and enable intelligent quality checks.
The result? Fewer errors, faster resolutions, and safer, more confident workers.
4. Continuous Improvement
Closing the Loop with Actionable Insights
Continuous improvement (CI) doesn’t just happen—it requires the right data, insights, and tools to identify what matters most. Augmentir empowers teams to move from guesswork to precision by surfacing opportunities directly from real-world operations.
AI-powered tools include:
True Proficiency: Aligns training and performance data to uncover skill gaps and enhance learning programs.
True Opportunity: Pinpoints the highest-impact areas for improving quality, productivity, and safety.
Augie Data Assistant: Enables natural-language queries to quickly reveal trends, inefficiencies, or outliers.
Augie Content Assistant: Capture & Convert tribal knowledge embedded in informal collaboration into formal, reusable SOPs.
Augie Autonomous Agents: Automate repetitive tasks, monitor KPIs, and trigger proactive CI actions.
Together, these tools ensure that continuous improvement isn’t a periodic initiative—it’s built into the fabric of daily operations.
AI That Delivers Real-World Value
Augmentir’s AI doesn’t just digitize work—it reimagines it. By embedding intelligence throughout the entire Connected Worker Journey, the platform empowers frontline teams to:
Onboard faster
Work safer and smarter
Learn continuously
Drive real business outcomes
With Augmentir, companies move beyond digital transformation toward AI-driven workforce transformation—turning every worker into a connected, empowered, and continuously improving contributor to operational excellence.
https://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/connected-worker-journey-featured-v3.webp6301200Russ Fadelhttps://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Augmentir_Logo_Sm-300x169.pngRuss Fadel2025-07-24 14:58:072025-11-27 02:45:44How Augmentir’s AI Delivers Transformational Value Across the Connected Worker Journey
Discover how Augmentir’s Connected Worker platform revolutionizes dairy manufacturing by improving quality, reducing downtime, and empowering frontline workers with AI-driven tools.
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As the dairy industry struggles with increasing demand, shifting regulatory landscapes, and a widening skills gap, manufacturers are turning to digital tools to modernize their operations.
One solution that stands out in this transformation is Connected Worker software, a category that empowers frontline workers through real-time guidance, remote collaboration, and intelligent insights. And among the leaders in this space is Augmentir, a platform purpose-built to optimize frontline operations across food and beverage manufacturing — including dairy.
The Unique Challenges of Dairy Manufacturing
Dairy processors operate in a high-pressure environment with narrow margins and tight compliance requirements, and uncompromising safety and quality standards. They face:
Stringent sanitation and traceability regulations
Perishable raw materials and products
High variability in production lines and product SKUs
An aging workforce and high turnover rates
Lack of real-time visibility into frontline work
These factors place immense stress on both the workforce and the systems that support them. Maintaining consistent safety and quality while navigating these challenges is difficult—especially when legacy systems fall short in enabling knowledge transfer, standardizing procedures, and responding quickly to non-conformances or equipment issues.
Addressing Dairy Challenges with Technology
Technology plays a critical role in addressing workforce, compliance, safety, and quality challenges in dairy manufacturing. Connected worker platforms, in particular, enable real-time communication, guided digital workflows, and smart data capture that help ensure procedures are followed consistently and correctly.
A Connected Worker platform is a digital layer that equips frontline workers with smart tools — often via mobile devices or wearables — to complete tasks more effectively. These platforms empower frontline workers with step-by-step instructions, instant access to support, and automated documentation—improving adherence to safety and quality standards while reducing training time and human error. By digitizing and connecting the workforce, dairy manufacturers can drive greater operational efficiency, accountability, and continuous improvement across their operations.
The result is a safer, more efficient, and more agile workforce — even amidst labor shortages or high variability in operations.
Why Augmentir for Dairy?
Augmentir goes beyond digitizing work — it optimizes it through AI. This means that the platform continuously learns from workforce behavior and system performance to identify where improvements can be made.
Key features that make Augmentir ideal for dairy manufacturers include:
1. Smart Workflows for Sanitation and Quality Control
Augmentir helps ensure that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems and product changeovers are followed consistently and documented in real time. This reduces the risk of contamination and non-compliance.
2. Workforce Development and Knowledge Retention
With an aging workforce and growing training demands, Augmentir’s embedded skills tracking and adaptive learning tools ensure that employees are properly trained and matched to the right jobs based on their evolving capabilities.
3. Real-Time Issue Resolution
Whether it’s a malfunctioning separator or an alert from a pasteurizer, frontline workers can instantly connect and collaborate using Augmentir’s connected worker technology. This reduces downtime and accelerates resolution—without waiting for external support.
Augmentir enables effective, context-based collaboration across shifts, sites, and languages. Teams can share information in real time, and directly update work procedures to reflect tribal knowledge exchanged during collaboration sessions. Augmentir’s AI captures and transforms this expertise into sharable corporate knowledge, improving visibility and communication.
Workers can also raise, track, and manage maintenance notifications digitally using a visual Kanban board. Monitor operational KPIs, and seamlessly escalate issues to enterprise Plant Maintenance systems or CMMS platforms.
4. AI-Powered Insights
Augmentir’s AI continuously analyzes data from work execution to uncover patterns and opportunities for optimization — such as which procedures cause delays, or where additional training is needed.
5. Integration-Friendly
Augmentir can seamlessly integrate with existing ERP, MES, CMMS, and QMS systems, providing a flexible way to modernize without ripping and replacing core infrastructure. This integration infrastructure allows Augmentir to act as a “Single Pane of Glass” for a manufacturer’s frontline operations.
Up to 72% reduction in onboarding and training time
27% reduction in quality issues and improved first-time quality and compliance adherence
21% decrease in unplanned downtime
Higher worker engagement and retention
A New Standard for Frontline Excellence
In an era where labor shortages, quality demands, and operational agility define success, the world’s leading dairy manufacturers, such as Müller Milk, are turning to Augmentir to modernize their frontline operations. By replacing manual, paper-based processes with AI-powered digital tools, these industry leaders are empowering their workforce, optimizing every task, and transforming their plants into smart, data-driven operations. Augmentir is not just a tool — it’s becoming the new standard for operational excellence in the dairy industry.
Request a demo to learn how Augmentir can modernize your dairy operations.
AI-powered technology may be the missing puzzle piece for today’s workforce crisis.
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AI-powered technology may be the missing puzzle piece for today’s workforce crisis in manufacturing.
Is it just us or does recruiting, training, and retaining top talent today feel a lot like searching for that one elusive puzzle piece? The seismic shift in the workforce is forcing us to get creative and be adaptable like never before. It’s a new generation and if we want to be competitive in hiring in this ultra-competitive environment, we need to re-access how we train, develop, and retain talent, embrace the variable nature of the labor market, and meet workers where they are.
We can no longer try to force-fit the old model of staffing and training into a space that looks drastically different. It’s not just about a labor shortage or the supply chain challenges created by the pandemic. Workers themselves are changing. What they want from work, and how they want to work.
The solution to this head-scratching puzzle? AI-based technology. Digital work instructions and individualized training and on-the-job training (OJT) can improve productivity, reliability, independence, and safety for every worker. It offers flexibility in scheduling for operations managers. It reduces downtime. All of which contribute to a more efficient – and profitable – operation.
Sound too good to be true? Brace yourselves. It’s not. Here are three ways that AI-powered technology can help.
1. Moving onboarding and training closer to the point of work
Imagine if we could train and develop someone in the context of doing their work, leading to increased engagement and allowing organizations to retain top talent. Furthermore, we could see an increase in productivity as they constantly evolve their learnings.
AI is allowing companies to understand a worker’s skillset and provides the ability for personalized digital work instructions to guide them in the context of work while they are doing their job, whether it’s a new worker or one with dozens of years of experience. With an AI-based onboarding approach, organizations are able to hire a wider range of individuals with varying skill sets and get those individuals productive faster.
2. Give support at the moment of need
Are you a people watcher? We are. Ever take notice of who is on the factory floor? Last time I checked, we got the “newbies” and “veterans”. The variability of the workforce, both skilled and young, proves that there’s not a one size fits all approach to troubleshooting and performance support.
Enter AI.
Give workers the support and guidance they need, at the moment of need, whether it’s immediate access to a digital troubleshooting guide, or connecting virtually with a subject matter expert. Delivering personalized work procedures for every worker allows for continuous learning and growth.
3. Improve engagement and retention
Workers that are connected and empowered with digital technology can discover and nurture diverse skills based on their unique competencies and experience. They can earn greater responsibility and independence. This increases confidence and job satisfaction. Which in turn can improve employee retention and slow the revolving door of continual recruiting and training.
The aftermath?
Workers are likely to stay and want to grow in the company when they feel included. Shortly, workers begin walking with poise and a “can-do” attitude to their next job task.
What else is possible with AI-powered connected worker technology?
AI-based technology is ideal for training workers in this variable environment. AI-based systems individualize information about workers based on previous training and data-driven performance insights and augments their capabilities. It offers step-by-step guidance at the moment of need for regularly scheduled maintenance as well as troubleshooting. It helps managers learn about workers’ existing skills and build a rationale for specific roles, resources, and certification support and then make clear recommendations based on demands.
Technology should fit into your business as simply as sliding that last puzzle piece into place. Workers are the heart of your business, and you should adapt technology to fit your business, not the other way around.
Technology should fit into your business as simply as sliding that last puzzle piece into place. That includes how you train your workers. But no two workers are exactly alike. Each will learn and approach problems differently. So why not use the technology that recognizes and adapts to those differences to your advantage?
https://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/3-ways-manufacturers-train-retain-develop-talent.jpg6301200Chris Kuntzhttps://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Augmentir_Logo_Sm-300x169.pngChris Kuntz2022-05-05 13:50:482025-11-25 12:37:273 Ways Manufacturers are Using Technology to Train, Develop, and Retain Talent
Explore the fundamentals of continuous improvement, the challenges of traditional CI methods, and how technologies like Augmentir are transforming continuous improvement in modern manufacturing.
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In today’s competitive global market, manufacturers are under constant pressure to produce more efficiently, reduce costs, and deliver higher-quality products—faster than ever before. To stay ahead, continuous improvement is no longer optional; it is essential. This methodology, rooted in principles like Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Kaizen, focuses on incremental and ongoing enhancements in processes, productivity, and quality. But what sets the leaders apart in the modern era is how they leverage technology to drive and sustain these improvements at scale.
In this article, we explore the fundamentals of continuous improvement, examine the challenges of traditional CI methods, and highlight how technologies like Augmentir are transforming continuous improvement in modern manufacturing.
The Core of Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement (CI) in manufacturing involves systematically identifying, analyzing, and enhancing production processes. It is not just about big innovations; often, the smallest tweaks—reducing downtime, improving machine reliability, or streamlining communication—can yield significant ROI.
Key principles include:
Employee Involvement: Workers on the shop floor often have the most direct insights into inefficiencies and can be powerful agents of change.
Data-Driven Decisions: Improvements should be driven by measurable performance indicators.
Standardization and Feedback Loops: Once better methods are discovered, they need to be adopted, documented, and continuously reassessed.
While the philosophy is sound, many manufacturers struggle with implementation. And that’s where the problems begin.
The Problems with Traditional CI Programs
Despite decades of focus on Lean and Six Sigma, many CI initiatives fall short. Why? Because traditional CI programs are often hampered by outdated practices, lack of engagement, and poor data visibility. Here are some of the most common issues:
1. Siloed and Manual Processes
In many plants, improvement efforts are manually tracked—on paper, spreadsheets, or disconnected systems. This siloed data leads to slow feedback loops and inconsistent execution across shifts or facilities.
2. One-Size-Fits-All Approaches
Traditional CI programs often rely on standardized procedures that assume all workers have the same skills and experience. This ignores the wide variation in frontline worker proficiency and limits personalization in training or task guidance.
3. Lack of Real-Time Data
Many organizations make decisions based on lagging indicators like end-of-month scrap reports or audits. Without real-time insight into what’s happening on the floor, it’s impossible to react swiftly or identify the root cause of issues as they emerge.
4. Low Frontline Engagement
CI often becomes a top-down initiative driven by managers and engineers, rather than frontline workers. When operators aren’t empowered or incentivized to contribute, critical on-the-ground insights are lost.
5. Sustainability Challenges
Even when initial improvements are made, organizations often struggle to sustain gains. Without built-in systems for reinforcement, training, and measurement, improvements fade, and old habits resurface.
These problems don’t mean CI is broken—they highlight the need for modernization. That’s where connected technologies and AI come in.
Technologies Fueling Modern Continuous Improvement
To accelerate continuous improvement, modern manufacturers are increasingly embracing Industry 4.0 technologies—an approach popularized by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab in his 2016 book The Fourth Industrial Revolution. This movement is reshaping manufacturing by integrating smart technologies that optimize production processes and enhance decision-making. Among the most impactful advancements are Connected Worker Platforms and Artificial Intelligence (AI), both of which are transforming how work is executed and improved on the shop floor.
Connected Worker Platforms
Connected worker platforms provide real-time visibility and data from the shop floor. These platforms link frontline workers with digital tools that enhance communication, guide tasks, and collect performance data. Key benefits include:
Digital Training approaches that enhance corporate training methodologies, such as Training Within Industry (TWI)
Performance Data for Targeted Improvements
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI takes CI to the next level by analyzing massive amounts of operational data—spotting trends, predicting outcomes, and recommending optimizations. Benefits include:
Root Cause Analysis
Predictive Maintenance and Forecasting
Intelligent Guidance for Tasks and Training
Together, these technologies enable a dynamic, responsive CI process that adapts to real-world conditions and human variability.
Augmentir: Elevating Continuous Improvement with AI-Powered Connected Work
In the modern manufacturing landscape, tools that enhance worker productivity, decision-making, and operational visibility are essential. That’s where Augmentir stands out. As a next-generation Smart Connected Worker Platform, Augmentir is uniquely designed to empower frontline workers and enable continuous improvement at scale—using the power of artificial intelligence.
Unlike traditional connected worker solutions that merely digitize paper-based processes, Augmentir goes further. It not only captures data from the frontline—it makes that data intelligent, actionable, and personalized. With built-in AI capabilities, Augmentir helps manufacturers bridge the gap between people, processes, and performance improvement.
What Makes Augmentir Different?
At its core, Augmentir offers a suite of tools that digitize, guide, and optimize frontline work:
Personalized Digital Work Instructions
Augmentir enables the creation and deployment of dynamic, multimedia-rich work instructions. These are personalized based on worker proficiency, reducing errors and improving quality.
Smart Workforce Management
With real-time skill tracking and performance analytics, Augmentir ensures that the right task is assigned to the right worker—improving efficiency and safety.
Industrial Collaboration
With manufacturing collaboration software from Augmentir, frontline teams can effectively collaborate and share information across across shifts, plants, and languages.
Operational Visibility
Every interaction on the shop floor is captured and analyzed to surface trends, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement. Unlike traditional audits or passive reports, Augmentir offers continuous, real-time insights.
Generative AI Assistant
Augie, Augmentir’s generative AI assistant, accelerates continuous improvement by delivering real-time insights, generating digital SOPs, and offering intelligent recommendations based on frontline data. By transforming operational activity into actionable guidance, Augie empowers teams to identify inefficiencies, reduce errors, and drive faster, more effective improvements.
Continuous improvement is the heartbeat of modern manufacturing excellence. But in today’s environment, traditional methods alone are not enough. The path forward lies in combining proven CI philosophies with digital innovation.
With platforms like Augmentir, and tools like Augie, manufacturers can move from reactive problem-solving to proactive performance enhancement—empowering workers, accelerating learning, and ensuring sustainable results.
The future of manufacturing is connected, intelligent, and continuously improving.
Recap of Chris Kuntz’s session at MD&M East 2025 on how AI copilots and AI agents are transforming manufacturing—from enhancing workforce capabilities to enabling autonomous operations.
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At this year’s MD&M East, formerly IME East 2025, Augmentir took center stage as Chris Kuntz, VP of Strategic Operations, delivered a powerful presentation on the transformative role of AI Copilots and AI Agents in manufacturing.
Read below for a brief recap of the presentation, as well as a video recording of the presentation.
Addressing the Workforce Crisis with AI
Chris opened with a sobering reality: even if every skilled worker in the U.S. were employed, 35% more manufacturing jobs would remain unfilled. Citing a $1 trillion annual opportunity cost by 2030 (Deloitte), Chris emphasized that traditional workforce strategies aren’t enough—and the time for intelligent automation and workforce augmentation is now.
Key Highlights from the Presentation
The Rise of AI Copilots and AI Agents
Chris introduced AI Copilots as conversational tools powered by LLMs, providing contextual, real-time support to workers. AI Agents, on the other hand, are autonomous systems that execute complex tasks independently—reducing friction, downtime, and manual inefficiencies.
Skills & Training AI Agent – On-demand learning and certification
Operations Agent – Real-time troubleshooting support
Corporate Knowledge Graphs – Smarter access to institutional knowledge
Case studies from leading packaging and beverage companies added real-world credibility, demonstrating how organizations are scaling faster while minimizing downtime and safety incidents.
Video Recording
Full Transcript
My name is Chris Kuntz. I’m with an AI company called Augmentir, and we provide connected worker software for frontline workers in manufacturing. Today what I’ll be talking about is artificial intelligence, which in many ways has taken over the media, and become a major part of our lives, but I want to talk about it in the context of manufacturing and specifically talk about generative AI assistants and AI agents that can be used in manufacturing to help guide and support today’s frontline workers.
So just a quick 30 seconds on Augmentir and who we are as a company. We’re a relatively young company, founded in 2018, but we have a pretty deep history in innovative software and manufacturing, dating back to the late 1980s. The founders of Augmentir were the same industry innovators that founded Wonderware in 1987, which revolutionized HMI software in factories. Wonderware went public and is now part of AVEVA/Schneider Electric. We were the founders of Lighthammer, which is now part of SAP’s MII offering. And we were the founders of ThingWorx, which is now part of PTC and revolutionized the Industrial Internet of Things space. And when we left PTC, the team got back together again and we wanted to focus on tackling what we considered to be the next big problem in manufacturing at the time, which was the human worker.
If you think about AI and how it’s been, automation and how AI has optimized production lines, really the last mile for driving efficiency in manufacturing is the human worker. And even more apparent over the past five years since the pandemic, the labor shortage, the skilled labor shortage has created dramatic impacts on product quality, product efficiency, and overall throughput in manufacturing. And so our goal at Augmentir was to tackle that.
So let’s start this conversation by talking about AI and the history of AI in manufacturing. And it dates back to the 1960s. AI has been used in automation in manufacturing for decades now. It’s been used to drive incredible levels of efficiency. It’s been used in machine vision systems for quality improvements. And you see that you, when you walk around, manufacturing trade shows like this, it’s been used in warehouse in warehousing automation, and more recently, it’s been used in the industrial internet of things, digitally connecting equipment and using AI to analyze the data that is coming off of that equipment to drive greater efficiencies in production, production efficiency in manufacturing. But a common theme across all of this is up to this point, AI has been used to replace the human worker or to optimize manual labor or manual efforts that humans were doing in factories, previously. AI has a unique opportunity, specifically around generative AI co-pilots, if you think ChatGPT or AI agents, is to augment the human worker, not replace them.
And so the question we asked ourselves at Augmentir, when we started, was, can AI do the same for humans? Can AI drive efficiency for the humans that are still on the shop floor in manufacturing, quality, engineering, and maintenance roles and in equipment operation. More importantly, in maintenance, can AI be used to optimize the work that they’re doing? And why now?Here are some statistics from a report that LNS Research, an analyst firm based out of Boston ran last year on the future of industrial work. Pretty fascinating statistics. When they look at the average tenure rate in manufacturing, 2019 compared to the end of last year. So from 20 years to three years, the average time and position went down from seven years to nine months, and the average three-month retention rate, the rate at which people stay in after the first three months, from 90% down to 50%. So the problem you have in manufacturing today is yes, there’s a labor shortage, yes, it is difficult to find skilled labor, but because humans are required in manufacturing, what organizations are doing is hiring less skilled workers. And now you have a problem that’s really twofold on the shop floor. You have less experienced workers that also have less experience or less skilled workers, also have less experience. And that results in safety issues, quality issues, product recalls, downtime, everything possible that you can imagine that relates to human error in or on a factory floor.
In this survey, from LNS, the respondents, 92% of them said they were looking at technology as a way to offset that skilled labor gap. Now, it’s not the only solution, certainly there are better hiring strategies, better training strategies, but certainly looking at technology as a big piece of offsetting that labor crisis. Just another statistic here from a study in Deloitte, even if every skilled worker, and this is just in America, even if every skilled worker was employed, there would still be a 35% gap in unfilled job openings in manufacturing. That’s how bad it is. And so Deloitte predicts by 2030, that it’s a $1 trillion problem in the US alone. And I think they forecasted $3 trillion globally, a problem that exists for production output and manufacturing.
So that brings us to what we’re talking about here today, AI agents and co-pilots. Everyone here has used ChatGPT or Gemini or Perplexity or whatever, chatbot you want to use today, fantastic results and fantastic opportunities when you think about consumer AI, but what I want to do is talk about the context of AI assistance, as well as agents, which there’s some blurring of the line there, but we’ll talk about that, and their applicability in industrial operations and why it’s quite a bit different from consumer AI.
So what is an AI co-pilot? Best example is ChatGPT, right? We’ve all used it. Natural language interface, the ability to use what they call a large language model, LLM, for those of you that might not be as technical, which has the ability for that agent or that assistant to understand vast amounts of data and it provides context assistance to users. On the flip side, what is an agent? An agent is an AI bot that acts more autonomously. They can operate based on a prompt like you would have with ChatGPT, but they don’t have to. So they can actually take autonomous action based on instructions you give it. Now, when you think about it, I’m going to use ChatGPT as an example today because I think we’ve all probably used it or used something similar. They’re starting to blur the lines a little bit with their, I think they’re calling it the ChatGPT operator, so that’s starting to blur the lines between autonomous and strictly prompt-based AI. But the idea is the same in the context of today, what we’re talking about in terms of an AI co-pilot or an assistant that is a prompt-based bot that that a user might be using. And from an agent standpoint, it is something that can act more autonomously. And a prerequisite to all this, when you think about manufacturing and you think about frontline workers, whether they are working in safety, quality, equipment and machine maintenance and repair or equipment operation, a prerequisite to all this is the ability to have a connected worker.
And by connected worker, what we like to talk about at Augmentir is a worker that is not only connected with a digital or a mobile tool, like a phone, a tablet, a wearable technology, a wearable augmented reality-based headset, for example, but also digitally connected into the business. So using that interface to not just connect them physically with a device, but connect them into HR systems, learning management systems, ERP systems, quality systems, and safety systems, systems that they use every day. But now that they’re connected, they can become human sensors on the shop floor. And there’s a vast amount of data that we can then capitalize on here, and AI can then act on.
So what I want to do now is talk about consumer AI, again, the example of ChatGPT compared to industrial AI. And in the case of today, I’m going to give some examples of manufacturing companies that are actually using this technology today. But when you think about industrial operations, you have to think quite a bit differently than how we might use Gemini or ChatGPT today. So I’m just going to walk through an example here. You have a frontline worker, an operator on a manufacturing floor, and their job every day is to operate the mixer. Okay? Part of their job is also to periodically do a clean, inspect, and lubricate on that piece of equipment, so it doesn’t go down or so that they can prevent failures from happening. So that’s a CIL. So now go back to the context that I started this conversation with. Let’s say you have a less experienced worker, maybe they are a novice worker.
https://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mdm-east-2025-chris-kuntz-speaker.webp6301200Chris Kuntzhttps://www.augmentir.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Augmentir_Logo_Sm-300x169.pngChris Kuntz2025-06-11 10:50:362025-08-11 10:50:59AI Copilots and AI Agents in Manufacturing – Chris Kuntz at MD&M East 2025
Learn how shop floor data capture improves manufacturing efficiency, quality, and agility. Discover how Augmentir’s AI-powered connected worker platform transforms real-time data collection on the shop floor.
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Shop floor data capture is the process of collecting real-time information from manufacturing operations—including machine performance, labor activity, and production status—to improve visibility and decision-making. Connected worker platforms streamline and enhance this process by embedding data capture into digital workflows, enabling accurate, real-time input directly from frontline workers.
Read this article to learn more about shop floor data capture in manufacturing:
Shop Floor Data Capture (SFDC) is the process of collecting real-time operational data from the manufacturing floor. This includes tracking machine status, work order progress, labor inputs, quality checks, safety reports, material usage, and unplanned downtime—essentially, any data that reflects how work is being done in real-time.
Modern SFDC systems gather this information digitally using a combination of mobile devices, connected worker technology, sensors, connected machines (Industrial IoT), and software platforms, replacing traditional paper forms, spreadsheets, and delayed manual entry.
Why Shop Floor Data Capture Matters in Manufacturing Today
For manufacturers, every second on the shop floor counts. Without accurate, real-time insight into what’s happening, teams are forced to rely on outdated reports, gut feelings, or tribal knowledge to make decisions. This leads to:
Production delays
Low first-pass yield
Excessive downtime
Underutilized labor
Missed improvement opportunities
Shop floor data capture bridges the gap between what’s planned and what’s actually happening. When data is captured as work occurs, manufacturers gain the visibility needed to:
Identify inefficiencies immediately
Pinpoint training gaps or human error, which according to OSHA makes up 80-90 percent of serious injuries in the workplace.
Improve scheduling and resource allocation
Make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement
Who Benefits from Shop Floor Data Capture?
Shop floor data capture benefits multiple roles across manufacturing operations:
Operations Managers
Gain real-time visibility into production
Identify areas for process improvement
Supervisors & Line Leaders
Track shift performance and labor productivity
Ensure compliance with standard work
Continuous Improvement Teams
Analyze trends and root causes using accurate, structured data
Measure impact of Kaizen events or Lean initiatives
Quality Assurance
Detect deviations and non-conformances quickly
Link quality issues to specific operators, machines, or conditions
Executives
Align factory performance with strategic KPIs
Justify investments in digital transformation with hard data
Common Use Cases for Shop Floor Data Collection
1. Production Tracking
Capture cycle times, completion rates, and progress toward production targets.
2. Labor Time Reporting
Track how operators spend time on tasks, setups, changeovers, and idle periods.
3. Quality Checks
Real-time data collection with digital checklists and issue reporting—detect deviations and non-conformances quickly and link quality issues to specific operators, machines, or conditions.
Quality use case for shop floor data collection using the Augmentir Connected Worker Platform
Use modern software tools to support Statistical Process Control (SPC) data collection via mobile devices, allowing operators to input measurements directly from the shop floor. Visual dashboards and interactive SPC charts help teams quickly identify and respond to process variations.
6. Digital Work Instructions with Feedback
Capture data as operators follow digital work instructions—ensuring standard work is followed and insights are logged automatically.
7. Training and Skill Tracking
Use skills management tools to monitor how skill levels and training impact performance, and identify upskilling opportunities.
Shop Floor Data Capture is the First Step Toward Industry 4.0
Capturing accurate shop floor data is not just an operational improvement—it’s a foundational step in the journey toward smart manufacturing. By digitizing and automating data collection, manufacturers can:
Enable predictive maintenance
Support AI-driven decision-making
Improve workforce development strategies
Achieve greater agility in response to market changes
How Technology is Transforming Shop Floor Data Capture
Technology is revolutionizing how manufacturers collect and use data on the shop floor. Traditional manual methods—like paper checklists, spreadsheets, and standalone terminals—are being replaced by digital, connected solutions that enable real-time visibility, reduce errors, and unlock continuous improvement.
One of the most impactful advancements is the rise of Connected Worker Platforms. These platforms equip frontline workers with mobile devices, wearables, or voice-enabled tools that guide them through tasks while automatically capturing data in the flow of work. This eliminates the need for redundant data entry and ensures that information is accurate, consistent, and immediately available for analysis.
Adding to this transformation is the emergence of AI-powered digital assistants, such as Augie, Augmentir’s GenAI Assistant for Manufacturing. These AI tools analyze the data captured from the shop floor and deliver proactive insights, recommendations, and real-time support to workers and supervisors. Whether it’s identifying patterns in downtime, highlighting skill gaps, or surfacing quality issues, AI Agents enable a more intelligent, adaptive approach to managing operations.
Key Technology Advancements Driving Change:
GenAI Assistants like Augie: Transform raw data into intelligent, actionable insights that drive continuous improvement and smarter decision-making.
Connected Worker Platforms: Digitize frontline work and embed data capture into standard processes.
Mobile and Wearable Devices: Allow workers to input data quickly and hands-free, improving efficiency and safety.
IoT Sensors and Smart Machines: Enable automatic capture of machine data without human input.
Cloud and Edge Computing: Ensure real-time access to data across facilities and roles.
By integrating these technologies, manufacturers are not only improving data collection but also building a foundation for a more agile, efficient, and intelligent factory floor.
How Augmentir Elevates Shop Floor Data Capture
Augmentir goes beyond basic data collection by embedding data capture directly into the flow of work through AI-powered connected worker tools. Rather than asking operators to fill out separate forms or spreadsheets, data is automatically gathered as workers execute tasks using digital work instructions, smart checklists, or mobile guidance.The
Augmentir platform is a suite of connected worker software tools that helps customers digitize and optimize all frontline processes including autonomous and preventive maintenance, quality, safety, asset management, and workforce training and development. The solution combines skills management, digital workflow, collaboration, and knowledge sharing to deliver continuous value in a wide range of verticals.
At the core of this system is Augie, Augmentir’s Suite of GenAI tools. Augie continuously monitors captured data to deliver intelligent, context-aware insights to workers and supervisors—helping identify inefficiencies, recommend improvements, and provide real-time support when it’s needed most.
Key Capabilities:
Embedded Data Capture: Workers enter data naturally during task execution—no extra steps required.
Automated Time and Activity Tracking: AI accurately logs who did what, when, and how long it took.
AI-Driven Insights: Augie analyzes workforce and operational data to uncover skill gaps, detect process variation, and suggest workflow optimizations.
Closed-Loop Feedback: Capture feedback from the frontline to continuously improve instructions and processes.
Seamless Integrations: Sync with ERP, MES, or CMMS systems to create a unified data environment.
Real-Time Assistance with Augie: Augie acts as a digital assistant on the shop floor, guiding workers, surfacing knowledge, and enabling just-in-time learning and decision support.
With Augmentir, manufacturers move from reactive firefighting to proactive optimization—unlocking measurable gains in productivity, quality, and agility, all powered by real-time data and intelligent AI support.
Ready to Modernize Your Shop Floor?
With Augmentir, you can start capturing high-quality shop floor data in days—not months. Empower your teams with tools that make work easier while giving you the insight to continuously improve operations.
Request a demo or Contact us to see how Augmentir can help.
Augmentir was recently recognized by Verdantix as one of the top 10 best AI-powered industrial copilot vendors offering comprehensive solutions for workforce management and productivity efficiency.
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Generative AI Industrial Copilots—AI assistants powered by large language models (LLMs) and tailored for manufacturing environments—are rapidly becoming essential tools for modern manufacturers. These copilots provide frontline workers and engineers with real-time, context-aware guidance, troubleshooting support, and automated documentation, all through natural language interactions.
Their rise is driven by critical industry challenges: a widening skills gap as experienced workers retire, ongoing workforce shortages, and the urgent need to boost productivity and operational efficiency. By capturing institutional knowledge and delivering it instantly to less-experienced workers, industrial copilots help manufacturers maintain performance, reduce downtime, improve safety, and accelerate digital transformation efforts.
Verdantix, an independent research and advisory firm that provides data-driven insights and strategic guidance on digital strategies for industrial organizations, recently covered the topic of generative AI industrial copilots in a market insights report. Verdantix’s market insight report highlights 10 innovative industrial copilot vendors delivering robust solutions for workforce management and productivity optimization. Industrial leaders can leverage this report to deepen their understanding of AI-driven technologies and explore how these solutions can support their own industrial transformation efforts.
Augmentir was recognized by Verdantix as one of the Top 10 Gen-AI-powered Industrial Copilot Vendors to Watch for 2025.
Top 10 Industrial Copilot Vendors
Here are the top 10 GenAI-Powered Industrial Copilot Vendors To Watch In 2025 as reported by Verdantix:
Augmentir – Augmentir’s generative AI assistant, Augie™, is a transformative tool designed to enhance industrial operations by providing real-time, context-aware support to frontline workers. Augie integrates data from various sources—including operational systems, training modules, and workforce management platforms—to deliver personalized guidance, streamline workflows, and facilitate rapid content creation.
ABB – ABB’s Genix Copilot, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, integrates large language models like GPT-4 to enhance industrial operations. It provides real-time, contextual insights to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability across sectors such as energy and utilities.
AVEVA – AVEVA, now part of Schneider Electric, has developed an Industrial AI Assistant, built on Microsoft Azure, that offers a conversational interface for users to access and summarize operational data. This assistant aims to improve decision-making and efficiency in industrial processes.
C3 AI – C3 AI‘s Generative AI Suite provides domain-specific solutions to assist technicians with equipment troubleshooting and reduce training time. The suite enables enterprise users to rapidly access and act on data through intuitive search and chat interfaces.
Cognite – Cognite‘s Generative AI Copilot, integrated within its Data Fusion platform, delivers real-time, contextualized insights for industrial operations. It enhances decision-making by providing a centralized view of industrial data, aiding in safety, reliability, and quality management.
IBM– IBM’s Copilot Runway assists enterprises in creating, customizing, and managing AI copilots, including integration with Microsoft 365. This offering aims to enhance productivity and drive business transformation through seamless AI adoption.
Nanoprecise – Nanoprecise’s ReKurv.ai is a generative AI solution designed for maintenance professionals in industrial environments. It offers real-time, contextual answers based on equipment behavior and operational data to enhance decision-making on factory floors.
Palantir – Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) connects AI with data and operations to drive automation across processes. It provides tools for building AI-driven functions and managing agents, facilitating real-time decision-making in critical contexts.
Siemens – Siemens’ Industrial Copilot, developed with Microsoft, is a generative AI assistant designed to enhance human-machine collaboration. It assists staff in designing products and organizing production and maintenance processes, aiming to improve productivity across industries.
SymphonyAI – SymphonyAI offers AI-driven solutions tailored for various industries, focusing on enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making. Their platforms integrate generative AI to provide actionable insights and improve business outcomes.
These companies, along with Augmentir, represent a transformative shift in how industrial leaders are deploying GenAI—not just to automate tasks, but to empower frontline workforces and drive measurable operational gains.
Key Benefits of Industrial Copilots
Industrial copilots offer a range of transformative benefits across operations, maintenance, training, and safety. Here are some of the key benefits:
Operational Efficiency & Productivity
Task Automation: Copilots can automate repetitive administrative tasks such as work order generation, data entry, and scheduling, freeing up time for skilled workers.
Real-Time Assistance: Provide workers with instant access to SOPs, manuals, and troubleshooting guides, improving first-time fix rates and reducing downtime.
Intelligent Recommendations: Suggest optimal next steps, tools, or parts based on contextual data, enhancing decision-making on the shop floor.
Data-Driven Insights
Contextualized Information: Copilots integrate data from multiple sources (ERP, CMMS, sensors, IoT) and present it in a unified, actionable format.
Anomaly Detection: Use AI to detect trends or anomalies in equipment performance or worker activity that could indicate operational risks or inefficiencies.
Knowledge Retention & Training
Just-in-Time Learning: Provide on-demand guidance and microlearning in the flow of work, tailored to workers’ roles and skill levels.
Knowledge Capture: Automatically document expert procedures and best practices to ensure tribal knowledge is retained and reused.
Safety & Compliance
Proactive Hazard Alerts: Warn workers of unsafe conditions based on environmental data, worker behavior, or equipment status.
Audit Support: Maintain up-to-date logs and documentation for compliance with industry regulations and standards.
Scalability & Workforce Empowerment
Support for Multi-Lingual & Diverse Teams: Enable consistent communication and guidance across geographically dispersed and multilingual teams.
Worker Empowerment: Give frontline workers more autonomy through AI guidance, increasing engagement and reducing reliance on supervisory intervention.
Augie™: An Industrial Copilot to Empower the Frontline Workforce
Introduced in early 2023, Augie™ is an industrial copilot designed specifically for the industrial frontline. Unlike traditional tools that rely heavily on equipment data alone, Augie™ integrates insights from frontline operations, training, engineering, and workforce data to deliver real-time, contextual support to frontline workers and supervisors.
Key Features Behind Verdantix Recognition
Verdantix highlighted Augmentir due to several standout capabilities within the Augie™ industrial copilot:
Industrial Work Assistant
Provide real-time support and guidance to workers on the floor or in the field. Augie helps workers with standard work, troubleshooting, and information access.
Content Assistant
Automatically converts standard files (Word, Excel, PDFs) into smart digital workflows such as SOPs and checklists. Augie can take your existing content and generate digital, smart forms, checklists, and interactive work procedures. Augie accelerates your transition to a paperless operation, and provides a robust tool for capturing tribal knowledge and converting it into digital corporate assets.
Operations Data Assistant
Interpret operational data through natural language queries, eliminating the need for complex reports or dashboards. The Augie industrial copilot helps operations leaders gain insights into your frontline operations by understanding and summarizing your operational data, generating reports, and providing insights into continuous improvement opportunities.
Extensibility Assistant
Offers developers tools to build custom GenAI experiences through user-defined functions and APIs. The Augie Extensibility Assistant from Augmentir empowers industrial companies to go beyond basic generative AI by enabling more intelligent and autonomous support for frontline operations. Through its seamless integration with Augmentir’s AI Agent Builder, Augie allows users to create and deploy AI agents that can interact with and analyze operational data, trigger automated workflows, and respond contextually to frontline needs. This extensibility framework lets manufacturers tailor AI assistance to their unique environments—connecting to third-party systems, retrieving and acting on data, and continuously learning from worker behavior and outcomes. The result is a scalable, adaptive solution that extends GenAI from simple question-answering to proactive, intelligent task support across the digital thread.
Solving Real Industrial Challenges
The industrial sector faces a range of challenges: growing skills gaps, legacy processes, inconsistent quality, and labor shortages. Augie™ directly addresses these by:
Boosting workforce performance with personalized, AI-driven task support.
Improving decision-making via fast access to operational and procedural knowledge.
Accelerating continuous improvement by uncovering inefficiencies through embedded data analytics.
The Future of Frontline Work, Powered by the Augie Industrial Copilot
Augmentir’s inclusion in Verdantix’s Top 10 GenAI Industrial Copilot Vendors watch list underscores its leadership in shaping the next generation of intelligent, AI-powered industrial tools. As frontline work evolves, platforms like Augie will be instrumental in bridging workforce gaps, maximizing productivity, and enabling safer, smarter operations.
Request a demo and see how Augie is redefining frontline performance.
