Bill May

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[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Manufacturers Can Barely Keep Up With the Data Center Gold Rush https://t.co/vg7UJveuRO

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Monetizing AI in Manufacturing

Turning Data into Dollars without Losing the Human Touch
“AI predicts failures in seconds; mentors prevent million-dollar tolerance drifts. Here’s how to monetize both—before your competitors do.”By: Bill May
In the fast-evolving world of manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a revenue engine waiting to be fired up. As we stand on the brink of a manufacturing sector recovery in 2026, with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) forecasting 1-4% growth across 16 of 18 industries, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI but how to monetize it effectively.Yet, amid the hype of algorithms crunching data in seconds, one truth remains: AI alone won’t deliver sustainable profits. It needs the “critical mass” of human wisdom to thrive. Drawing from High Value Manufacturing (HVM)’s insights on workforce challenges and the irreplaceable role of mentoring, this guide explores practical strategies to turn AI into a monetization powerhouse—while ensuring your leadership team has the depth to scale.📷
Step 1
Assess Your Critical Mass for AI Adoption:
Before diving into monetization, evaluate if your organization has the “critical mass”—that sufficient size, number, or capability threshold—to produce results. In manufacturing, this means more than headcount; it’s about blending AI’s raw intelligence with human knowledge and wisdom. The Institute for Supply Management’s latest report highlights multiple consecutive months of contraction in 2025, with workforce reductions hitting management, leadership, and technical roles hardest.HVM’s research reveals a stark reality: 25-30% of leadership positions in many plants remain open, often filled by inexperienced hires struggling with day-to-day operations.Launching new products? That only amplifies chaos, leading to downtime, quality dips, and missed margins—like that infamous 0.003″ tolerance drift that tanks quarterly profits.Monetizing AI starts here:
Use it to diagnose gaps. Deploy AI-driven analytics tools (e.g., predictive maintenance software) to audit your operations. Tools like those from Siemens or IBM Watson can process terabytes of sensor data to pinpoint inefficiencies, forecasting potential revenue leaks worth millions. But without critical mass, these insights gather dust.HVM’s approach? Temporarily embed seasoned contractors (25+ years’ experience) to perform unfilled roles in operations, engineering, and quality. Each can mentor 4-6 juniors, accelerating AI implementation by resolving process gaps—boosting throughput by 15-20% in pilot programs.Organizations with critical mass see ROI in 6-9 months; those without critical mass risk stalling at the starting line.📷
Step 2
Leverage AI for Operational Monetization:
Pair It with Mentoring! AI excels at intelligence: learning, reasoning, and processing data at warp speed. It’s the engine revving your manufacturing line. Knowledge follows—the facts, theories, and experiences it accumulates from your ERP systems, IoT sensors, and supply chain logs.But wisdom? That’s the driver: ethical judgment, foresight, and contextual application that only humans provide.Why does this matter for monetization?AI can’t replicate lived experience. As AI researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky notes in his breakdowns, wisdom demands subjective consciousness, ethical nuance beyond mere optimization, and transcendence over data alone. Search “Artificial Wisdom” on any platform, and you’ll get the same verdict: AI simulates, but never truly “grows” through regret, relationships, or shop-floor intuition. In practice, monetize AI by targeting high-impact areas:Predictive Maintenance and Downtime Reduction: AI algorithms analyze vibration data to predict failures, cutting unplanned downtime by 30-50% (per McKinsey). Monetize via “uptime-as-a-service” models—sell excess capacity from optimized lines to overflow clients. Veteran mentors enhance this by mentoring teams on nuanced fixes, like debugging equipment startups, ensuring AI alerts translate to real-world wisdom.
Supply Chain Optimization: Use AI for demand forecasting and supplier scoring, reducing stock outs by 25%. Here, wisdom shines: Inexperienced staff might over-optimize for cost, ignoring ethical sourcing risks. Mentors vet AI recommendations, blending data with judgment to avoid reputational hits.
Quality and Throughput Enhancements: AI vision systems detect defects in real-time, improving yield by 10-15%. HVM’s 11+1 Quality Management Strategies exemplify this—contractors institutionalize processes, documenting AI-driven insights for scalable, wisdom-infused SOPs.
https://t.co/IyA2Gsaqbi
HVM’s model proves the formula: Contractors handle daily duties (e.g., production control, maintenance), identify priority gaps, and provide OJT for new hires. This six-segment approach— from performing roles to monthly mentoring check-ups—builds critical mass, allowing AI to fuel growth rather than fizzle out.📷Step 3
Scale through Hybrid Models—AI + Wisdom Ecosystems: To truly monetize, build ecosystems where AI accelerates but humans steer. Start small: Pilot AI in one line, using HVM-style mentoring to train juniors on interpreting outputs. As confidence grows, scale to enterprise-wide deployment.Revenue streams abound:Anticipated regulatory relief, expect accelerated investment—pinning hopes on slashed burdens to unlock AI’s full potential. But remember: AI processes quicker, yet mentoring transmits wisdom mouth-to-ear on the shop floor.The Bottom Line:
AI Monetized Is Wisdom Amplified: Monetizing AI in manufacturing isn’t about replacing gray-haired mentors—it’s about empowering them. With 26 months of contraction behind us and recovery ahead, build critical mass now.HVM’s 15-year mission of profitable performance shows how highly experienced consultants bridge gaps, turning AI’s intelligence and knowledge into wisdom-driven decisions. The result? Not just survival, but explosive growth—profitable products, soaring throughput, and cost-effective ops.What’s one way you’re blending AI insights with mentor guidance in your plant? Share in the comments—let’s build that critical mass together.
Reply below or email.Let’s chat: [email protected] you enjoy this blog?
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HVM utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a research tool when developing company communications.  Often this research will include the use of Large Language Models (LLM). It is a company policy that all such research be adjusted, modified, and edited utilizing our own person Human Intelligence (HI) or wisdom to assure the appropriate and most accurate message is being communicated to our Clients. HVM will always specify when AI/LLM were used when generating content.
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AI Will Never Replace the Gray-Haired Mentor on Your Shop Floor

And Here’s Why…
By: Bill May

AI can crunch a million data points in seconds. It still can’t tell a junior tech why a 0.003″ tolerance drift killed last quarter’s margins.

The interaction between AI, Knowledge, Wisdom and Mentoring are subjects worthy of additional analysis.
Intelligence-Knowledge-Wisdom

AI and its impact on everything seem to have an omnipresence in media today. Data Centers, education, training, employment levels, competitiveness, GDP and human psychological stability all seem to be impacted by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

It is imperative that we take a step back, analyze what is happening and take some of the anxiety out of this subject.

Utilizing some AI myself, let’s start with this:

Intelligence, Knowledge, and Wisdom: These three concepts are often discussed together but represent distinct aspects of human cognition and capability.

Intelligence:

The ability to learn, reason, solve problems, adapt to new situations, and process information quickly and effectively. It’s raw cognitive horsepower.
The engine of a car (power and speed).

Knowledge:

The accumulation of facts, information, theories, and experiences. It’s what you know.

The fuel in the tank (what powers action).
Wisdom:

The application of knowledge with insight, judgment, ethics, and foresight. It’s knowing when and how to use what you know.

The driver (who steers toward the right destination).

Why AI Can’t Do Wisdom
It is likely that Artificial Intelligence can and will lead to Artificial Knowledge, but highly unlikely, I would say impossible, to lead to Artificial Wisdom.  As a matter of fact, if you search for “Artificial Wisdom” on an AI platform, this is a typical result:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot equate to wisdom—not in the full human sense—and likely never will, even with unbounded scaling of intelligence or knowledge.

Yudkowsky’s breakdown of why, structured around the core components of wisdom and AI’s fundamental limits.

These five limits explain why AI alone leaves money on the table in manufacturing.
Wisdom Requires Lived Experience & Subjective Consciousness
Wisdom Involves Ethical Judgment Beyond Optimization
Wisdom Transcends Knowledge & Intelligence
Can AI Ever “Grow” Wisdom?
Even if AI simulates aging, relationships, or “regret” in a virtual world, it remains performance, not experience.

(Originates from a post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @ESYudkowsky)

So what does this all mean?

In simple terms, for Artificial Intelligence to be useful it must be coupled with Human Wisdom.  AI can allow us to process data and information quicker but in itself cannot provide wisdom. No machine has provided wisdom yet—because wisdom still travels mouth-to-ear on the shop floor.

Mentoring = Wisdom Transmission
Mentoring is a developmental relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable individual (the mentor) provides guidance, support, advice, and feedback to a less experienced person (the mentee) to help them grow personally and professionally.
So how does someone transmit “wisdom” to another person?  In my experience in the manufacturing world it is via Mentoring.

How HVM Does It
Our mission since our founding nearly 15 years ago has been to provide highly-experienced consultancy services focused on delivering profitable manufacturing performance based on quality products, improved throughput, and cost-effective operations. Mentoring is one of those skill sets.
The operative phrase in our mission, as with wisdom, is highly-experienced.

The transition from Intelligence to Knowledge to Wisdom is through human experience.

When you work with our contractors you will find is an abundance of human manufacturing wisdom…..that is why AI does not frighten us.  It is merely another tool in our very large toolbox. Our 11+1 Quality Management Strategies utilized numerous times to resolve quality and throughput issues with our clients is an example.

Likewise, at HVM we have the necessary skill sets to mentor your less experienced employees. That in essence is how AI will help your organization; when you find a means to convert AI into applicable Wisdom. In the end, AI accelerates intelligence and knowledge, but mentoring unlocks wisdom. At HVM, we’re bridging that gap—turning your data into profitable decisions.

What’s one way you’re blending AI insights with mentor guidance?
Reply below or email.

Let’s chat: [email protected]

Did you enjoy this blog? Search our blog library for other topics of interest: https://t.co/bbtAoBjrzV

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Does your manufacturing organization have the “critical mass” to grow?

As the manufacturing sector recovers, the challenge is growing the workforce, especially the leadership team.

**Issue: Vacancies or Inexperience**
Many manufacturing plants face a shortage of skilled employees in Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain. The leadership team’s “critical mass” often hinders plant operations while hiring and training new staff. Even filled positions may lack capability due to inexperience, leading to performance issues in daily operations and new product launches.

HVM has helped clients by temporarily filling leadership roles (for 6 months or less), identifying permanent replacements, and mentoring new hires. HVM provides experienced Manufacturing Engineers and Managers to support daily operations. With 25+ years of experience, HVM’s contractors can replace, mentor, and train 5–7 new graduates or less-experienced employees.

**Hands-On Impact / Mentorship**
HVM contractors perform daily functions of unfilled positions, mentor less-experienced staff, and support hiring by interviewing and vetting candidates. After onboarding, they provide on-the-job training (OJT) for new hires. Specific tasks include:
1. Perform duties for open Operations, Production Control, Logistics, Engineering, Quality, Facilities, and Maintenance roles.
2. Collaborate with Plant Leadership to prioritize tasks.
3. Address gaps in engineering, scheduling, and maintenance to improve throughput.
4. Enhance manufacturing process capability and quality to boost daily output.
5. Execute a six-step process:
- Perform duties of open positions.
- Mentor existing staff.
- Develop/verify job descriptions and skill requirements.
- Vet and interview candidates.
- Mentor and train new employees.
- Document and institutionalize processes.
- Provide monthly mentoring check-ups (2 days/month).

Let HVM address your operational challenges.

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Making American Manufacturing Great Again Starts with Small Businesses https://t.co/Fy7xeodHQx

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

There are several indicators of U.S. manufacturing resurgence. Optimism is emerging for a potential recovery. Yet, a key challenge remains in growing and equipping the workforce. Here's our take: https://t.co/0S64oogqPm

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Most of us small business owners do not have a difficult time realizing that we need to improve our business.

Typically, we can easily identify when our profit margins are insufficient; we can sense from negative feedback when ou…https://t.co/KAaJuBiwG8 https://t.co/Zl2sAyMvpp

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

I just returned from another insightful event sponsored by the Association for Corporate Growth: 2023 Mid-South Capital Connections in Louisville, KY. I was asked: What is a manufacturing company doing HERE?

It has been a common q…https://t.co/5wwxAqTvty https://t.co/aNH0hporV3

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Brittany Lorenzi is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested? https://t.co/hvy8iM3eE4

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

My experience in the manufacturing industry has taken me into plants all over the world: Automotive plants, Aerospace plants, Defense industry plants, Home Appliance manufacturing plants, consumer products plants, and many others.…https://t.co/Hm0zbbSWTd https://t.co/IHDQcwubnk

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

It is common that a business owner’s valuation of his own company may be higher than that of a prospective buyer. The phrase “mind the gap” offers a unique warning for those of us who have bought or sold businesses, as well as for…https://t.co/VsieMN5kV2 https://t.co/JA4Uw2iWHv

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

"Improving supply chain resiliency and having more control over the value stream to better manage the inbound material flow and traceability" are primary reasons for in-sourcing. #sourcing #onshoring #supplychain https://t.co/xB8JoODzYK

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

A great summary of what makes a good manufacturing team. Check out HVMC's Quick Value Tool (QVT) to assess where your manufacturing plant compares to the best plants in North America. #manufacturing #continuousimprovementculture https://t.co/4zoVhx6Ux8

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Although one point does not make a trend, it is a welcomed change from 2 down months. #manufacturing #onshoring https://t.co/9rKmUcIq00

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Very informative article on Plant Construction speed. Also need quick process development, process validation and production launch to complete the cycle for timely implementation.
#construction #manufacturing #onshoring https://t.co/o2H5JXTFmc

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

A manufacturer cannot simply ignore negative supplier relationships, especially when they impede production. Rather than fearfully “whistling past the graveyard” and ignoring dysfunction, our experienced team recommends implementin…https://t.co/1a0L5WKwj4 https://t.co/5zQlW9exP6

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Mr. Moser is right on point. My clients in the Manufacturing sector are positioning themselves for the renewal ahead. #manufacturing #onshoring https://t.co/qJwtJpmH8c

[Bill May @HighValueMfg]

Proud to share a client testimonial that tells the story of our Win-Win approach.

HVM recently heard from a client one year after our engagement to perform an operational assessment and recommend performance improvements for a str…https://t.co/e4eD0G0vFT https://t.co/oCgQxW2XY1