Francisco Almada Lobo – CEO, Critical Manufacturing

In this insight packed interview EMSNOW speaks with Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing MES. Critical has just hosted their most recent Summit where 600 attendees met in Portugal to explore the opportunities and challenges of MES. From the first session, the topic of AI 'set the stage on fire' with all the possibilities these new technologies bring to the table. 

Francisco explains the evolution of MES data strategies: originally the software worked with discrete transactions; then the software engineers were able to enrich this base with contextual information allowing more analytics by training through classical machine learning. AI opens up massive new capabilities, but it too is quickly evolving. 

Critical Manufacturing is helping customers navigate it all by hosting events like the Summit and publishing detailed white papers and training. Digital transformation is dependent on the level of digitalization that the operation has achieved, he says, and that isn't something that can be purchased, but must happen in partnership with a partner that understands the industry deeply. 

This is a must-listen interview for any EMS grappling with how to benefit from these new AI technologies.