SAP Visual Inspection powered by AI delivers key benefits including increased sustainability, mitigated production risks, and improved quality, as outlined in official SAP documents. For sustainability, it "enhances sustainability by automating inspection processes, reducing waste, and optimizing resource use. It eliminates the need for additional manual control, which reduces unnecessary work and conserves resources, contributing to a more efficient and environmentally friendly production process." The AI "uses cameras and cloud-based AI algorithms to detect defects in real time, ensuring that defective components are identified early and routed appropriately. This automation minimizes waste by ensuring only high-quality products proceed, aligning with just-in-time manufacturing principles and reducing resource consumption."
To mitigate production risks, the solution "mitigates production risks by identifying nonconformances early in the production process, reducing the likelihood of defective products reaching customers. This helps maintain production consistency and reduces the risk of costly recalls or reputational damage." It works by "AI algorithms analyze components for defects with high accuracy, such as detecting a single hair or drop of water, without requiring additional worker oversight. By marking components as defective or intact and routing them accordingly, it ensures early decision-making, preventing errors that could escalate into larger production issues."
For quality improvement, it "significantly improves product quality by ensuring defects are detected with high accuracy in real time, leading to higher customer satisfaction and a stronger manufacturer reputation. It reduces the reliance on manual inspections, which can be error-prone due to monotony." The system "integrates cameras with AI algorithms to perform visual checks instantly, identifying issues without additional manual intervention. This automation allows for rapid defect detection and correction, ensuring that only high-quality products are produced."
These benefits contrast with incorrect options like increasing lead time or extending duration, as AI aims to streamline inspections. (Extracts from: https://community.sap.com/t5/supply-chain-management-blogs-by-sap/how-can-ai-in-manufacturing-boost-supply-chain-efficiency/ba-p/13751628; https://www.sap.com/products/artificial-intelligence.html).