ILMA Compoundings June 2018 - 27

security concerns. I do think customers will be willing to
experiment with this new technology in the future. But I
think it's a few years away."
O'Donnell agrees. "I think we're years away from seeing
AI fully integrated in lube plants," he said. "There are a couple of hurdles. First, I don't think there are many software
offerings out there that have embedded AI. Second, people
by nature are reluctant to change. AI applications may mean
new software, training and relying on software for processes
that some plants are used to doing manually. Some people
have a level of discomfort if they can't touch it and see it."
"The primary hurdle is cost," Desai said. "This industry
has always been under intense pressure to constantly reduce
selling prices. Investment in capital becomes a significant
challenge."
"I think the investment required for very smart AI is not
really worth it for every lubricant plant," Jarquin admitted.
"The scale and complexity of those plants simply doesn't
require it. If things got affordable, that would be the point at
which would it become commonplace."

Nevertheless, AI-driven applications continue to be developed and tested. "We're just starting to work with one of our
major clients to provide them with OEE [overall equipment
effectiveness] tools for data crunching and assistance in
making business decisions," said Athimoolam. "At this time,
we're coming up with a pilot project to demonstrate what
advantages these tools can bring to them. We expect to see
more AI tools in this area coming in the future."
"We're building in conditional logic and pattern recognition
tools for the MRP based on purchases and sales, and utilizing
voice commands," said O'Donnell. "We have companion
mobile apps based on conditional logic. And throughout
everything, we use analytics to explore the exceptions.
"Is that AI? Well, you could say all of that is evolving into
AI. But it's an iterative process rather than a conscious decision to make AI software. Because, after all, customers aren't
looking for AI software. They're looking to solve a problem,
streamline their workflow and operate more effectively."
Bittner is a Michigan-based freelance writer and a frequent contributor
to Compoundings.

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ILMA Compoundings June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings June 2018

ILMA Compoundings June 2018 - Cover1
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ILMA Compoundings June 2018 - 1
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