F055: Execution That Works: AI Guidance and Cost-Effective Inventory Strategies for Real Shops

Every job shop has the same problem: the knowledge that keeps production running lives in people's heads. When experienced operators retire or go home, that knowledge disappears.

The result is an execution gap. Your ERP has the plan. Your machines know what actually happened. The space between those two things is where throughput, quality, and on-time delivery erode every single day.

This session explores how high-mix fabrication and contract manufacturing operations are using AI-powered assistance to close that gap, whether building on existing systems or replacing legacy tools that were never built for the shop floor they actually run.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for embedding intelligence into daily shop floor execution, and the metrics that matter most to plant leadership: throughput per machine, labor cost per part, and on-time delivery performance.

Stockouts usually aren’t a forecasting problem. They’re a signal problem. The bin goes empty, nobody notices early enough, and suddenly it’s a fire drill.

This hands-on session shows a simpler alternative to expensive VMI and “just buy more” inventory: QR order cards that create a clear, early reorder signal right where the part gets used. No constant counting. No heroic spreadsheet upkeep. No fantasy “real-time” data that depends on perfect data entry.

You’ll see real examples of digitized Kanban in fabrication and distribution, how it fits alongside ERP and purchasing, and where two-bin systems break when the signal is late or sloppy. We’ll cover how to size and place signals (lead time, usage variability, min/max) so buyers and suppliers can act before you’re short.

Leave with a practical framework you can implement immediately—by fixing the signal.