The term Artificial Intelligence seems to be on everyone’s lips today, but to most manufacturers, it’s unclear just exactly how it might be a benefit to their bottom line. Structify is working hard to change that attitude. Ronak Gandhi, the COO and one of the founders of the company, says that although they work with all types of industries, U.S. manufacturers make up the bulk of their clients and are the main focus of what they are trying to achieve. He describes Structify in simple terms by saying, “We’re a bunch of young folks that are really, really good at data and AI, and really care about the backbone of the country. There’s all this new technology, and we’re trying to be a bridge to making something manufacturers can leverage from the ground up so it makes sense for their business.”
Autumn Moon, Head of Storytelling, Brand, and Marketing for Structify, says of the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the adoption of AI in manufacturing circles, “I think companies that are doing similar things often times make things more complex, whereas we really care about making it understandable, and palatable, and a tangible thing that can improve and grow your business in a really exciting way. It’s something not to be frightened or intimidated by, but you just need the right tools, and you need the right people that are going to be honest with you about where it can actually give you ROI, and actually improve your profits.”
Technology Complemented by Relationships
Breaking through the noise manufacturers are being bombarded by from other AI companies is a key to Structify’s success. Direct, in-person relationships are important to understanding the individual needs of customers, and often the younger generation involved with most AI companies seems reluctant to engage in that way, but Structify is different. “We’re a ‘people company’”, says Gandhi. “What we do is we make blueprints, we deliver on them, and we send folks onsite to get it done.”
Those blueprints are the results of Structify’s team of approximately twenty employees working to bring the latest applicable AI technology to manufacturers all around the country. Structify starts by traveling to prospective customers to study and analyze their operations for thirty days. This analysis helps them show the kinds of improvements possible through implementing new efficiencies in their specific procedures, including being able to easily produce accurate, detailed reports on operational effectiveness. “You ask the question, and it pulls the report,” says the COO. “It doesn’t matter if it’s pulling from MES and your ERP, it doesn’t matter what the ERP is. You can have all that information at your fingertips, and slice it and dice it as you want. It makes financial reporting pretty easy, as well as interacting with your ERP and whatever other systems you’re using, from inventory management to MES.” The company is so confident in their methods and results that this step is done at a flat charge, and it serves to create a personal relationship with the client–and to generate excitement about the benefits their assistance will provide.
Customized AI Solutions
With their blueprint, Structify pinpoints exactly where AI creates ROI in a manufacturing organization. Their foundation is the stable core everything runs on: Structify connects the business’s data and builds a deep understanding of how the company operates, establishing critical business context. Once the foundation is in place and the blueprint is set, Structify can build meaningful, custom AI solutions in just 60 days, or equip in-house teams and outside IT consultants to execute. In any case, Structify is there to assist in any way necessary to maximize the benefits of their program.
Gandhi stresses that every company is different, and it is not a ‘one size fits all’ situation for them. He says, “We’re people first. Basically we’re like craftsmen. We take pride in the work that we do. We’re our own sort of job shop. Everything is made to order, we’re kind of our own style of contract manufacturer.”
That personal relationship angle is also important to the company’s marketing efforts, as meeting with potential customers one-on-one at trade shows and conferences has become their most effective sales tool. Structify will have a big presence at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September in order to further connect with potential and current customers to get the word out on what they have to offer. Additionally, referrals through IT firms, as well as from past clients bring new customers to seek out Structify’s help.
Encouraging the Next Manufacturing Generation
The energy and enthusiasm that the team brings to clients also helps inspire a new generation’s interest in manufacturing industries, a very important factor in expanding the country’s production capabilities for the future. Outside of Structify’s revenue-driven activities, they also work with colleges and universities to expose Gen Z students to the opportunities that modern manufacturing offers, as part of their long-term mission to grow domestic industrial resources. With older skilled workers retiring, and fewer young people showing interest in actually making things, Gandhi says, “If we’re going to focus on American manufacturing, the industry has to withstand the next thirty years, of which the biggest risk is, I think, the workforce crisis.”
Conveying the excitement of creating products to a new generation is a challenge, and Moon says, “The problem that this industry (manufacturing) is having is that we’re not stressing how ‘badass’ it is enough. It makes so many interesting things, and I think that’s not talked about enough.”
Structify continues to grow and provide valuable information to U.S. manufacturers to help them become more efficient and more profitable as they compete in the worldwide competition for future production. The enthusiasm and commitment with which the company approaches its task, and their larger goal of developing interest to assist in the creation of the next generation of manufacturing professionals to strengthen the country’s self-reliance, is impressive, and will no doubt lead to continued and expanding success for them in the future.
