Earlier this week, I was treated to a first-hand tour of the upgraded manufacturing facility at Endurance Doors. I have been before, a few years ago, just as they launched their marketing hub down the road from their production facility.
A lot has changed in those few years, especially in the assembly area of their plant, where they have invested significant sums of money in automating what was a very labour-intensive part of the process. State-of-the-art turntables have upgraded the way products are handled and the speed at which a door can be assembled. It was great to see.
As part of some general chit chat before we got going, we talked about AI. The consensus was that it was a good thing, and it was already being used internally for various processes at the business. We talked about how it’s going to change everything around us, and our industry will not escape that change.
Jobs will change
One of the major concerns around AI is that it will lead to job losses. And to be frank, yes, it will. But rather than react to that in a knee-jerk fashion, let’s look at the job market in a wider context.
An analogy I like to use is cars vs horse and cart. There was a time before cars were invented. Many people got around on horses and carts, and that was the way of the world for a long time. Then cars came along, and people moved quickly to adopt that form of transport. As a result, trades involved with cart production and horses faded into nothing. Jobs back then would have been lost, and people would have had to retrain or find other employment. And yes, I suspect back then people would have been concerned about job losses in that sector. But that is progress, and you certainly wouldn’t now give up cars to go back to horse and cart.
AI is just another evolution of industry, and the jobs market will change because of it. The nature of jobs will change in all parts of our sector. Marketing departments are already adopting AI into photography, videography and imagery work. It is already being used in copy work and PR/news article writing. I know it is already being used in manufacturing processes, to analyse data, product quality and logistical work.
It is saving departments time and money, and making them more productive already. That momentum will continue; there is no doubt about that. Already, you can see job roles evolving due to the effects AI is having on the nature of their work.
What I will say is that it is the responsibility of companies to aid their staff through this period of transition. Adopting AI throughout a business is the right thing to do to keep any business on the front foot and ahead of its competition, but staff do need to be educated and nurtured through that process to ensure transitions are smooth and effective.
Use AI to get ahead
Many of us are probably using a host of AI tools in our marketing work. Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT and others are all great when it comes to content generation. But there are a whole host of applications where AI can help businesses up and down our sector.
At a manufacturing level, AI tools can be utilised to run along a production line. It can be used to find inefficiencies, find product quality problems, or help transport departments work out the most efficient routes for delivery.
I know that internally, some companies are already using AI to analyse internal data and processes to help them make their own companies leaner and more productive.
As the saying goes, if you’re not moving forward, you’re going backwards. Companies that invest in AI and new technology now will find that they will move ahead of their competitors who have either failed to invest wisely or are too sceptical of AI to even try using it. It is the same with all forms of technology. Companies that invest in the latest machinery or software in our industry are able to offer better quality products, more services for their own customers and therefore win new business ahead of the competition.
The same goes for AI. There are already endless AI tools out there; the key is integrating them correctly into our businesses to allow us to exploit new revenue opportunities.
What’s more, the cost of AI tools is relatively cheap. The main recognised AI platforms that many of us use only charge a small monthly fee to access all the main AI capabilities. If a few quid per month can save hundreds of pounds per month in efficiencies, or win thousands of pounds of new business, then a few monthly AI subscriptions are definitely worth the investment.
I think we have already passed the debate about whether AI is good for humanity or not. So many of us are using AI in some form every single day, whether personally or in business. It is here to stay, whether you like it or not. The main question we should all be asking ourselves instead is how we are going to use AI to help our businesses this year and into the future. Those who learn it and embrace it will find themselves ahead of those who do not.
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