PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES
THE SKILLS SHORTAGE ISSUE
CURA TALENT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE
FACTORY FLOOR BECOMES A REALITY
When the skills shortage is discussed
in manufacturing, a lack of engineers is
normally the first issue that springs to mind.
Yet, as Graham Smith, head of marketing at
Microsoft recruitment partner Curo Talent
explains, there’s also an IT skills shortage
facing manufacturers.
Developing the UK’s IT infrastructure across
manufacturing sectors is essential. The rise
of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented
reality (AR) for industrial applications, brings
a need for IT specialists to implement such
technology, and train the manufacturing
workforce on how to use it.
As the use of AI and AR is becoming a
competitive differentiator, IT specialists
are more in demand than ever before.
Unfortunately for some, the IT talent pool
can appear arid — unless you know where to
look. Many of today’s leading IT experts are
found in the contracting realm.
Expert contractors are ideal to implement
projects in the first instance, setting these
businesses up to use AI and AR.
In fact, Satya Nadella, chief executive officer
of Microsoft said in a recent video, “The thing
that’s most exciting to me and what we at
Microsoft can do, is to make every company
out there really an AI-first company, because
they already have customers, they already
have data. If we can democratise the use of
AI tools, every company can then harness the
power of AI.”
So, what exactly is this new technology, and
how will the manufacturing industry find it
useful? Two years ago, Microsoft introduced
Dynamics 365. The idea was to create more
intelligent, adaptable business solutions
that are integrated with Office 365 and built
on Microsoft Azure. Now the platform is
applying hyped terms, like AI and AR, to real-
life work situations.
Combining business data with Dynamics
365’s built-in AI capabilities helps
manufacturers derive actionable insights,
make predictions based on previous
actions and events, and graduate from
being reactive to staying one step ahead.
For example, it means that overloaded
maintenance workers can focus on the
higher impact business processes.
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Microsoft has also launched smart AR glasses
— HoloLens. Combined with Dynamics 365
Remote Assist, these are ideal to wear in the
factory, where it sometimes isn’t practical to
use laptops or other computing equipment.
These glasses overlay information on the
wearer’s field of vision to troubleshoot faults
in machinery. For manufacturers interested in building
HoloLens readiness into their business, Curo
Talent has just the right contractors with the
right skills. Hiring on a temporary basis, over
a permanent basis gives your business the
flexibility to carry out these projects, and also
increases your chance of finding the right
person for the job.
For example, if an employee discovers a
fault in a machine, they can use the glasses
to video chat with someone who can offer
advice. The person called upon can bring up
instructions on the wearer’s view and draw
virtual lines on their field of vision to identify
specific wires and components. Remember, it’s not just the engineering skills
shortage that is posing problems, it’s also
the IT skills shortage. To contact Curo Talent
directly, e-mail [email protected].
There is also Dynamics 365 Layout, which
can help factory managers to design the
floor plan of the production area with
new machinery and equipment. In factory
organisation, the smallest oversight in a floor
plan can cause costly delays. This program
lets plant managers visualise the factory
layout in 3D, moving machines around using
the HoloLens glasses and AR, meaning any
issues can be dealt with in advance of a
machine delivery.
Whichever way manufacturers choose to
use this technology, it’s implementation
will require the right access to leading
IT specialists. While there’s no doubt IT
specialists are in high demand at present,
hiring IT contractors over permanent IT
employees is one possible solution.
About Cura Talent
For more than a decade, Curo
Talent® has built the most
respected Microsoft freelance
community in the UK. Utilised
by Microsoft UK and users
of Microsoft technology,
its contractors empower
organisations with capacity and
scale to sell or deliver more.
Curo is more than a recruitment
agency. The company works
in partnership with Microsoft
freelance experts offering them
relevant, interesting and leading-
edge contract jobs.
www.curotalent.com