Impact of COVID-19 on Manufacturing and Supply Networks — The Case for AI-Inspired Digital Transformation

Manufacturing and supply networks worldwide are undergoing digital transformation under the umbrella of Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Just as companies embrace digital technologies and leverage the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI), the world has been affected by one of the biggest interruptions in the modern history — the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies are facing existential threads and scrambling to survive in the months to come. Conceivably, some are inclined to scrap AI initiatives and projects as non-essential in these horrific times, as evidenced by canceled and delayed consulting contracts with the projected loss of US$30 billion in 2020 alone. Here, we make the case that digital technology and AI can mitigate the adversities and strengthen the resiliency and preparedness of manufacturing and supply networks in the future. We discuss the role of various AI tools, including digital twins and automation, transportation automation, automated design, predictive tools and forecasting, predictive maintenance, augmented and virtual reality, and wearables and vision systems, in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on a variety of industries, ranging from agriculture and food processing to medical equipment and paper product manufacturing.