Digital supplement to
Technology Handbook
CONNECTED MANUFACTURING A look into the products, technologies and solutions shaping the market PHOTO: METAMORWORKS / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS / GETTY IMAGES
Technology Handbook | CONNECTED MANUFACTURING
Cube 67+: 20years young and still leading the way in Decentralized Control System Solutions
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ube 67+: The Best modular IO solution for the last 20 years! At the launch in 2003, it won machine designers and engineers over with its single cable technology providing both power and communication to the IO blocks. Star and Line topologies allowed design flexibility and installation of the control layout. Its ability to operate on multiple protocols, including Ethernet IP, Profinet, Ethercat, Profibus, and DeviceNet allowed machine builders to have one design for their machine, regardless of their customer’s PLC! The mechanical teams who previously spent countless hours and engineering time designing mounting solutions for IO blocks were able to save massive amounts of time. The ability to connect 512 IO in any configuration of inputs/outputs-digital/analog (including RTD and Thermocouple) allowed the ultimate flexibility for both designers and programmers. The addition of 2A outputs allowed customers to connect hydraulic valves and other high-current loads. Customers came to appreciate our embedded webserver, a wide range of IO blocks, and extensive diagnostics that enabled easy commissioning and troubleshooting. Especially crucial for the end customer and installation technician is our point-level short-circuit protection that does not shut down the entire block or, worse, the system. If you are using a competitor’s system that does this, call us! The large LEDs on all modules provide easy to read status of the system without the requirement for special tools or software. The embedded webserver provides detailed diagnostic information that allows you to view and set up your configuration. Faults and errors in the system are easily found and corrected, reducing downtime. Over the years, we added multiple features to keep Cube 67+ relevant to your needs. Need to add a module? No problem with our placeholder and free mapping functions that allow you to physically place the IO block anywhere on the machine and determine its position on your IO table. Want to easily record errors, uptime and publish this information to your MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning) system? The Diagnostic Gateway provides the architecture layout, detailed fault analysis, time stamping and suggested repairs with time stamping for all activities. Need to publish this information to the cloud? Embedded OPC UA server with detailed messaging capabilities makes this easy!
Does your machine come with optional configurations? For example, on a recent customer visit to a packing machine customer, they were talking to us about his machine consisting of up to 4 separate sections. He originally thought that meant purchasing 4 systems. With our Machine Option Management (M.O.M.) function, they were able to add or subtract sections of his machine on a single system with one IP address! Saving valuable CPU memory and allowing the purchase of a less expensive PLC. The addition of IO Link Class A-B modules allows you to easily integrate your IO link devices, digital and analog hubs into our system. IODD on board makes integration and commissioning easy. A couple of clicks on your computer screen and that’s it – you’re up and running. Customers have also used IO link to extend the length of coverage from 60 to 100m. It also increases IO availability up to 2048 from 1024! Does your current supplier allow that! With Networking blocks and cables spend on your machine, representing up to 78% of the electrical cost, wouldn’t it make sense to have a 2nd opinion? Reach out to your local Murr Connectivity Expert for a free no-obligation assessment.
For more information go to: https://www.murr.ca/ca-en/highlights/cube67/
2 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024
Technology Handbook | CONNECTED MANUFACTURING
Providing Cabinet-Free Automation WAGO’s IP67 Rated I/O System Field offers superior flexibility for today’s modern production facilities
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AGO’s I/O System Field is a IP67 rated distributed I/O system optimized for dependable, cabinetfree automation. This new system is engineered to meet the requirements of modern decentralized production facilities by providing maximum performance and a high level of connectivity. For superior flexibility, the IP67 system is offered in two housing types.
What are the two housing options and the benefits of each?
Both housing types come in standard and slim line options to meet specific application needs. The I/O System Field operates in temperatures of -13 °F to 158 °F (-25 °C .. +70 °C) and can be ordered with M8 or M12 connectors. Each housing can be mounted on equipment either directly or laterally without the need of any additional adapters. • The fully encapsulated metal housing fieldbus modules are ideal for harsh environments. They include components that support EtherNet/IP and EtherCAT protocols and offer configurable I/O as well as IO-Link master ports. With a built-in Bluetooth interface, users can configure these modules for commissioning and maintenance procedures while in the line of site of their plant floor equipment. For IIoT and SCADA applications, users can leverage OPC UA protocol for data monitoring and control. • Our non-encapsulated lightweight modules with low mass for mobile applications are IO-Link hubs for versatile connection to an IO-Link Master. These hubs come in either 8 or 16 configurable DIO ports and each channel is configurable for a 24 VDC digital input or output rated at 2 amps per channel.
How does WAGO’s I/O System Field’s extended connectivity help?
Modern, decentralized production facilities require automation solutions that ensure the highest level of connectivity while providing maximum performance outside of the control cabinet.
• The I/O System Field combines fast ETHERNET-based fieldbuses (e.g., PROFINET), technologies such as OPC UA, Bluetooth® and Webserver, and MQTT as a protocol for cloud connectivity. • The centerpiece is a powerful processor core that combines integrated security features with secure field and cloud connectivity. It is the basis for all ETHERNET, fieldbus and Industrial IoT standards, offering maximum flexibility for a wide variety of requirements.
How does this provide an all-in-one solution?
In combination with IO-Link, the I/O System Field fully demonstrates its strengths as a flexible “I/O distributor” for both data collection and distribution. The prominent communication standard enables seamless data flow from the control to the sensor and actuator level. This considerably simplifies configuration and cabling allowing new possibilities to arise for diagnostics, parameterization and device identification. • Get end-to-end cloud and fieldbus communication with IO-Link as well as simplified wiring that eases planning and device exchange. • When using an IO-Link Master, connect up to 8 IO-Link hubs per module using up to 4 A per port and up to 128 digital I/Os on one master. You also get star topology for short line paths and will use fewer IP addresses.
What type of load management does the I/O System Field provide?
Innovative load management is built in each I/O System Field module resulting in increased system reliability. • Current, voltage, and temperature levels can be recorded/ evaluated per channel or for the complete module. Current limits and alarms can be set for each channel as well providing easy detection for any system faults. • Detecting an increasing current can be a sign of a system fault in the future. Helping to predict these types of errors in advance can help maintenance staff to identify potential faults and fix them before there is unplanned downtime.
4 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024
WIRELESS CONFIGURATION IP67 WAGO SYSTEM FIELD • Fieldbus Communications – PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Modbus, IO-Link • IIoT Protocols – OPC UA, HTTP(S), Bluetooth
• Integrated Load Management – Monitor power consumption, set alarms, & adjust output current • Line of site wireless configuration via Bluetooth
https://www.wago.com/ca-en/automation-technology/io-systems/wago-io-system-field
INDUSTRY WATCH BY PAUL HOGENDOORN
Paul Hogendoorn co-founded FreePoint Technologies with the goal of giving manufacturers the benefit of information technologies that inform, empower and motivate their most critical asset – their people. He can be reached at hogendoorn.paul@gmail.com or linkedin.com/in/paulhogendoorn.
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anufacturers are being overwhelmed by the introduction of three and four-letter acronyms that describe things they are said to need to adopt and incorporate into their companies to have any chance of surviving into the future – such as ERP, MES, IIoT, Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing and digital transformation, and so on. Manufacturers deliver goods every day and every week of every year. It’s on time, or it’s late. There is no “substantially complete” or “almost done” or “nearly on time.” It’s done or it’s not, it’s on time or it’s late. It works or it doesn’t. That’s the manufacturers’ world – real, tangible and tactile. They deliver a good product that does what it’s supposed to, on time, with
a warranty, and for a competitive price. If they do all that, they stay in business and earn the opportunity to meet their customers’ demands tomorrow. And if they don’t, they’re out of business. So, whenever a manufacturing company leader asks me about these new terms or fuzzy topics, I remind them that the smartest people in the room is them. Whatever technology they choose to adopt should be on their terms, to suit their purposes and to fit their processes. Many manufacturers don’t know what the new terminology means, or how it really applies to their business. They often feel at least a small level of insecurity because of that, which causes them to delegate critical investment of time and money decisions to people
6 MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION · Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024
who know technology (or the new technology terminology) but not the actual processes or products. Delegating the selection of new technology completely to technology-knowledgeable people instead of manufacturing-knowledgeable people usually costs the company not only money but also time. Here’s an “everything you wanted to know about technology but were afraid to ask” list of questions I get asked most often. Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF ERP? A: “Enterprise resource planning” soft-
ware allows the management of all the information and resources involved in a company’s operations by means of an integrated computer system.
PHOTO: TARIKVISION / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Demystifying ERP and MES: A short guide
Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF MES? A: “Manufacturing execution systems,”
are computerized systems used in manufacturing to track and document the transformation of raw materials to finished goods. Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ERP AND MES? A: An MES tracks and collects informa-
tion about each product through all stages of the production process. An ERP is an integrated suite of software applications that business managers can use to run almost every aspect of their organizations. An ERP may include an MES module, or an MES can be a standalone software. Confused yet? If you are a technology person, it probably makes sense, and the differentiation may be as simple as this: MES systems are typically connected to machines and measure processes while ERPs typically measure the activity of the jobs. MES systems measure against a fixed efficiency target (OEE for example) while ERP systems measure actual against planned time and targets for each job. If you are a production-focused person in a high mix, low volume operation, it usually comes down to getting jobs done according to what was planned. Did you deliver what was planned for, when it was planned? Success means being able to answer both of these questions with “yes”; failure is not being able to answer both questions with “yes.” Technology people suggest that you should use the ERP system to answer the two “yes-no” questions (did you deliver what was planned when it was planned?) and an MES system to give you more insights and data to refine and optimize your processes to make sure you get “yes-yes” answers more often in the future. But, why two different but heavily overlapping systems? And where should things like bills of materials, work instructions, production schedules and checklists reside? The biggest reason this ambiguity is a major concern for many manufacturers is the cost and time associated with deploying either an ERP system or an MES system. It’s important to get the deployment – whichever you choose to do first – right.
Q: WHY ARE THERE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS IN THE FIRST PLACE? A: ERP systems evolved from MRP (ma-
terial requirement planning), which was created more from an accounting and administration perspective than an actual machining and production perspective. MES evolved from machine monitoring, which was driven from an engineering and machine efficiency measurement perspective. One started out as a tool for administration, procurement and planning, and the other started out as an engineering and maintenance tool for machine monitoring, process improvement and downtime reduction. As they both continue to evolve and expand, there is now a lot of functional overlap. Q: WHAT SHOULD A MANUFACTURER DO FIRST – ERP OR MES? A: MES systems are generally far less
expensive and far easier to implement than ERP systems and there is far less disruption and inconvenience to the day-to-day operation of the business. MES systems are generally priced in the tens of thousands of dollars range and can be fully deployed in weeks while ERP systems are often priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range and routinely take six months to a year to get fully deployed. MES systems typically deliver actionable insights within 60 to 90 days. If those insights are acted upon, the return on investment is very short, sometimes within 90 days. MES systems are great for engaging production personnel and feeding empirical information into a company’s CI (continuous improvement) team and process. Although the ERP investment is bigger, is often disruptive and takes more time, it has one significant and important advantage. An ERP system can provide visibility on the primary metric that matters most: Is the work getting done when it’s supposed to be done at the cost at which it was expected to be done? An ERP should be able to answer that question for you, while MES systems provide typically indirect metrics and measurements of success, such as uptime, runtime, OEE and opportunities for process improvement (downtime).
So, which one should you do first? It depends on what you see as your biggest need in your business. Some companies have adequate production planning and administration systems already in place. So, starting with an MES system would make sense. Others don’t have the financial visibility and accountability on a product-byproduct or project-by-project basis, and that lack of certainty is affecting their ability to win business or know what part of their business they should grow (or let go). In that case, an ERP would make sense. In short, ERPs focus on the products being produced and the costs and resources involved; MES on the other hand places a focus on the machines and various plant-floor level processes, looking to improve efficiencies of the machines and processes. In a steadystate production facility (where the same products are continuously run, processed or packaged), an MES system may be the most beneficial investment to make. In a custom job shop, where the company produces single or low volumes of complex products, an ERP may be of more benefit. Some companies start with an MES because it’s less expensive and easier to implement, use the visibility to drive engagement and productivity, and then use the data and insights to better focus and measure their continuous improvement efforts, while taking the extra time to make sure they make the right ERP decision. No one knows your business as well as you. As a LEAN colleague of mine always says: “People first, process second, and technology third.” Expensive technology doesn’t always make your business better, especially if it doesn’t fit your processes, and doesn’t work for your people. From a LEAN perspective, whatever does not add value to your customer is considered waste, whether that’s in administration, engineering or production. Your technology choices should be focused on what delivers the most value to your customers – now, and in the future. What tools make your people better, your processes better and your product better? The question is not really about technology at all – it’s all about your business. | MA
Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024 · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 7
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
ADAPTING WITH AGILITY Latest vision and artificial intelligence capabilities are allowing small and medium-sized manufacturers to respond rapidly to changing market conditions.
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mplementing agile manufacturing production processes with Industry 4.0 technologies can be a transformative endeavour for small and medium sized manufacturers (SMEs). Agile manufacturing places a strong emphasis on responding rapidly to the ever-changing customer demands. In a market that is highly competitive, reacting quickly and intelligently to market conditions can prove to be a game changer for SMEs.
Jonathan Weiss, CRO of Eigen Innovations, says that meeting the everchanging landscape of demand is one of the most important challenges for all manufacturers, whether big or small. “I see the most value for manufacturers coming from the tools that can help augment and complement people in the workplace. It’s not uncommon to hear about how technology is going to take jobs away from people in manufacturing facilities, but I don’t really see it that way.
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I see technologies augmenting skills that have either left the workforce and have not re-entered, or as tools to help folks upskill into new types of roles,” he says. Yassir Rizwan, co-founder and CEO of Labforge, explains that SMEs often tend to rely on older processes. Although they are aware of technologies like machine vision and artificial intelligence (AI), these are not on their priority list. “They have existential fires happening and need to put out these fires first.
PHOTO: MJ_PROTOTYPE / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES
BY SUKANYA RAY GHOSH
With Industry 4.0 technologies, such as vision systems, manufacturers can ensure quality consistency even when adding new or altered products to existing production lines.
For example, labour is expensive. Raw materials are expensive. They have competition from abroad. Shipping products is expensive. So, unless vision systems or AI are going to affect their core processes or the core priority items, they are low on their task list,” he says. Rizwan adds that when SMEs can take the time to do deep dive and add some kind of automation at their facilities, they are able to gain quality improvement and consistency of their products,
along with labour saving and increased throughput. For example, says Rizwan, if a small bread manufacturer producing 200 loaves of bread per day were to consider adds a vision camera system to check the bread colour, it can ensure consistent taste of its products.
Barriers to adoption Implementing machine vision and AI technologies can be expensive. SMEs
often struggle to allocate the necessary funds for hardware, software and skilled personnel to projects that are not critical for their survival. It is crucial, in such circumstances, to start by identifying specific pain points or areas where agility is crucial in their production processes. There is a need to define clear objectives for implementing AI and machine vision technologies, such as improving quality, reducing downtime or increasing production speed. Rizwan shares that while vision and AI can indeed help SMEs respond quickly to market and customer demands, these technologies have a high barrier to entry. “The biggest problem is there’s a learning curve. There’s a lot of jargon, usually industry terminology that people don’t understand and terminology that people often get defensive about. And understandably so, because the industry is moving very fast. Keeping up with AI technology is a limitation for small manufacturers. It turns out that AI and machine vision experts also cannot keep up with all the advancements in this field, they can only focus on their own sub-fields,” he explains. He adds that without the presence of inhouse expertise, technology can turn into a bane rather than a blessing. For example, he says, a manufacturer adds machine vision and cameras with the help of an external expert to perform a specific task like identifying product consistency. However, two months down the road, the customer demand changes and there is a need to alter the product slightly. The manufacturer has to ensure that the camera is now checking for consistency of the altered product. “So, the question for the manufacturer is do they modify the requirements on their own or do they spend the extra and get an expert? I think the answer to this going forward is going to be tools that are easy enough for manufacturers to use themselves and modify themselves. The key is to give them the tools to make those small changes themselves rather than having to go back to the experts and re-integrate everything and redo everything. Most tools currently in the market are not like that. They’re tools targeted towards experts,” explains Rizwan.
Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024 · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 9
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Changing the game with AI Automated quality control of products is one of the many ways in which SMEs can ensure a quicker response to changing market conditions using vision and AI technologies. These technologies can help them forecast demand and optimize their supply chains. For companies that do not have surplus funds, these small changes can go a long way in ensuring long-time survival. Hugues Foltz, executive vice-president of Vooban, says that for SMEs, AI, for instance can not just optimize the production processes, it can even optimize the scheduling of all production. “For example, even if it’s a new product, there’re always sub-assemblies that can be reordered and rescheduled in a better way than just taking a new product that is in demand and put it in line as ‘first-in first-out’, which is not
productive at all. Those processes can be optimized using operational research by looking at the best formula and the best recipe to achieve the same task,” he says. Foltz explains that this is similar to using Google Maps to figure out the best route to reach a destination while factoring in distance, traffic, road closures and so on. With limited resources on hand, SMEs need to be armed with all the right tools to stay ahead of the game. AI can be a major game changer here, shares Foltz. How can this technology help SMEs react rapidly to customer demands? Foltz says that AI can help predict sales, prepare for the changes and allocate manpower to the production processes accordingly. AI can also help manage stock and inventory as per the most current requirement. “The right prediction depends on the market and the industry. In general, with
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the right data available from government reports, industry representatives and industry associations, small and medium sized manufacturers can predict when there will be a rise in demand in each market, even a year in advance in some cases. Using AI, they can react to the market conditions. Those predictions can come in 80 percent accurate almost a year in advance,” says Foltz. He adds that while AI is a very powerful tool, SMEs will need additional information such as two years of sales history of the company, industry trends, market variables and so on. “We can train an algorithm to predict the future easily based on this,” he says.
Adaptable technology Many manufacturers today work in a high-volume or low-volume production environment with high variability,
PHOTO: EKKASIT919 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES
Manufacturers can leverage AI to predict process, sales and other outcomes in advance, reducing the need for last minute adjustments to fulfill customer demands.
“Fundamentally, you only get a certain level of value when you’re informed about a defect. You get exponentially more value out of the system when you can actually do some closed loop automation, such as taking the bad products off the line or doing something autonomous to prevent a customer from getting a bad product,” explains Weiss. He says that with the kind of agility needed in today’s manufacturing environment, interoperability is required to be able to adapt.
A real-life implementation
where the same products are not produced week after week. Weiss explains that it can be challenging to understand the changing products and making them to the highest quality standards possible. Eigen Innovations, which specializes in machine vision systems and software, can help SMEs compare the products they make to their CAD model rendering, for example, thus helping them make real-time decisions regarding the quality of the parts. In addition, Weiss emphasizes the importance of interoperability of all tooling so that technology additions and changes to the production lines are quicker. Interoperability also enables manufacturers to automate actions and processes based on quality indicators. “You might need to make a significant change in production, whether you’re
reconfiguring lines or you’re introducing new SKUs, new product configurations and so on. There are a lot of changes that need to be made. MES systems change. SCADA systems get new parameters. SPC or statistical process control and tooling changes happen. With your vision systems, you are looking at the new products. So, what does that mean? You need new machine learning models so the cameras know what they’re seeing. Interoperability of the tooling is needed so that your camera system, for example, is not on an isolated island where it requires a tremendous amount of dedicated support to adapt to the other processes that are evolving,” explains Weiss. He adds that when adding Eigen’s vision systems at manufacturing facilities, the team, has integrated the technology with MES systems, PLCs and control networks, among other things.
Examples of how SMEs have been able to adapt to the market with AI, vision and other Industry 4.0 technologies abound. Foltz shares how Stove Builder International (SBI), a manufacturer of stoves and furnaces in Canada, implemented AI to its advantage. SBI, according to Vooban, had invested significantly in automation already before they approached Vooban. They wanted to implement AI. “The first project they had in mind was sales prediction. Sales prediction is a very good quick win in many cases. SBI had a seasonality challenge. During peak seasons, it often had to manage the impact of labour shortage on its business. SBI needed to produce more products for a few months to fill inventory to appropriate levels,” explains Foltz. He adds that this issue added to the cost for the company. With a good sales prediction algorithm, Foltz’s team managed to bring to them enough information and enough confidence in what they were going to sell the next year. This prediction would allow them to carry on production at the same pace all year long. The payback, says Foltz, was instantaneous. “Implementing AI ensured that they are not in firefighting mode during the peak season when customer demand is high. This makes life easier for everyone,” notes Foltz. For SMEs, every win counts, every success matters. Industry 4.0 technologies available today can be crucial in helping them tackle changing demands quickly with compromising on the quality of their products. | MA
Technology Handbook Connected Manufacturing 2024 · MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 11
TAKING THE REINS: Women in leadership roles inspiring change. p. 12 IS CANADA READY FOR AIOT?: AIoT promises to bring the power of AI to operational technology. p. 12
CASE STUDY:
Automated welding system increases speed of production using EtherCAT and PC-based control. p. 14
CONNECTED SOLUTIONS How the latest technologies are solving critical problems in manufacturing. p. 14
CASE STUDY: Honda’s retooling strategy for future-proof facilities. p. 16
TECHNOLOGY: Top five trends in motion control for 2023 p. 14
CASE STUDY:
Improving performance specs on custom machines with vendor support. p. 16
CYBERSECURITY: Building secure connected factories of the future p. 18
CATCHING UP WITH INDUSTRY 4.0: Canadian manufacturers lag in technology adoption p. 8
THE BIG PICTURE: An overview of Canada’s participation at Hannover Messe 2023. p. 22
FAR-SIGHTED VISION: Artificial intelligence will allow machine vision implementaion in a growing capacity. p. 16
THE BIG PICTURE Notes from the field: Trends in artificial intelligence shaping the industry today p. 24
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Systematix offers solid support to client Leggett & Platt Lakeshore throughout its automation journeys and beyond. p.10
TOP 10
UNDER 40 Joshua Pickard from Eigen Innovations shares what motivates him to work in this industry. p.6
COBOTS
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A heavy equipment maker adds cobots to its high-mix low-volume manufacturing environment. p.10
Automation technologies and solutions to consider this year p.8
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2022 SHOW GUIDE OFFICIAL him to work in this industry. p.6 Innovations shares what motivates Joshua Pickard from Eigen
environment. p.10 high-mix low-volume manufacturing A heavy equipment maker adds cobots to its
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technology. p. 12 power of AI to operational AIoT promises to bring the IS CANADA READY FOR AIOT?:
control. p. 14 of production using EtherCAT and PC-based Automated welding system increases speed
CASE STUDY:
Messe 2023. p. 22 participation at Hannover An overview of Canada’s THE BIG PICTURE:
in technology adoption p. 8 Canadian manufacturers lag INDUSTRY 4.0: CATCHING UP WITH
implementaion in a growing capacity. p. 16 Artificial intelligence will allow machine vision
FAR-SIGHTED VISION:
the industry today p. 24 artificial intelligence shaping Notes from the field: Trends in THE BIG PICTURE
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