Intelligent manufacturing applications at Ford Motor Company

There is a common misconception that the automobile industry is slow to adapt new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), into the manufacturing sector. In reality, many of the earliest adaptations of AI were in the automotive sector where such diverse technologies as expert systems, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic were among the first to be used. In this paper we present an overview of how AI and knowledge-based technologies are currently being applied at Ford Motor Company within the manufacturing arena. Some of the applications that is described include an AI-based approach for vehicle assembly process planning, an application of AI for ergonomics analysis and a system that utilizes machine translation to translate assembly build instructions for Ford assembly plants that do not use English as their primary language. We also discuss how specific technologies, such as natural language processing, controlled languages, and ontologies, can be used to effectively deal with different types of knowledge, both structured and unstructured, that are prevalent in the manufacturing environment. The automobile industry is among the most competitive in the entire world, and the use of advanced technologies, is essential in the ongoing struggle to prosper in the global marketplace.