Microsoft 365 Copilot with Espria

Streamlining supply chains; Microsoft Copilot is key to keeping your manufacturing operations competitive, says Espria

Driving operational changes within the manufacturing sector has always required, at its core, technological advancement. Whilst this usually applies to upgrading machinery or the mechanisation and automation of labour, in recent years AI productivity tools have rolled out into the administrative side of businesses proving to help support operations at an even greater scale.

Manufacturing business owners and IT operators are constantly looking to drive greater efficiencies and innovation into their operations, whilst balancing costs amidst rising industry prices and streamlining design-to-make processes. Manufacturers without an AI tool to provide support, information and analysis at each stage of supply chain operations, should expect to struggle to stay competitive, especially going into the new year.

“2024 has marked a change in manufacturing administration when it comes to employing AI tools,” says Brian Sibley, Virtual CTO at Espria. “Microsoft Copilot and similar AI productivity tools have given us access to the necessary data analytics and task automation tools needed for businesses to stay competitive in a pressurised market.”

“While Copilot isn’t a one-to-one solution for streamlining supply chain management, it does give existing operations a much-needed boost to help develop and optimise systems. A powerful orchestration engine combining the power of large language models against data from within your infrastructure provides powerful access to analysis and insights needed to make effective decisions for manufacturing operations.”

The NexSys’ State of UK Manufacturing report highlighted that six in ten manufacturers are reviewing their processes in response to ongoing supply chain disruptions, with just over half of respondents choosing to also invest in new technology. Whilst manufacturers also reported that while supply chain disruptions had not impacted their markets directly, 48% of respondents said that it had affected where they source supplies.

“Supply chain management requires constant real-time insights for effective production planning and adjustment,” continues Sibley. Forecasting supply and demand accurately is already critical and requires real-time visibility across manufacturing supply chains.

Staying proactive keeps production running smoothly, and this ties directly with how Copilot interacts with optimising your production scheduling. In integrating pre-existing machine learning models with your data, you can also trigger preventative maintenance and adjustments.

“Similarly, the optimisation of production schedules is boosted when the process can be supported by AI tools. Microsoft Copilot automates the administrative part, especially in unifying aspects of data entry, processing, analysis and optimisation.

While upgrading your document management and resourcing stack may feel tedious in comparison to building out your manufacturing line, ultimately AI brings a needed boost to productivity, an unprecedented level of information access, and an even greater facility for team collaboration and communication at every stage of your business.”

Sibley concludes, “For manufacturers, staying up-to-date with technology on the production line has always been a priority. But can they say the same for their business executive and administrative operations? Legacy technology will stunt and stagnate your production wherever it lies, so ensuring that you have the best tools to support your operations will be key for manufacturing operations in 2025 and beyond.”