Apple hosted its Manufacturing Academy’s first spring forum in East Lansing, Michigan, this week, bringing hundreds of U.S. manufacturers to Michigan State University to demonstrate how companies are applying AI techniques learned in the program.
The event was the largest ever organized by the academy. Off-site visits were a central part of the program, with Block Imaging, a Michigan company that maintains and refurbishes medical imaging equipment, including CT scanners and MRI machines, welcoming participants to its facilities to demonstrate how it put the academy’s training to use on the factory floor. Other stops included the MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and Peckham.
The on-campus sessions featured speakers from McKinsey, Magna, LightGuide and Medtronic on topics including physical AI in manufacturing and the challenges of scaling AI solutions. A poster session closed the day, featuring MSU students and participants from small and medium-sized businesses.
Priya Balasubramaniam, Apple’s vice president of product operations, spoke at the forum and participated in a fireside chat with Michigan State University President Kevin M. Guskiewicz on the impact of AI on manufacturing operations and the skills workers will need in an AI-driven economy. Katie Runyon, Block Imaging’s director of technical training, said the program produced tangible results for her team:
The Apple Manufacturing Academy has had a direct impact on the way we operate. The training we received from Apple engineers and Michigan State experts gave our team practical tools and techniques that we were able to immediately apply in the field, improving the way we work and the quality of what we provide to healthcare providers. We keep coming back because the program keeps moving us forward.
Launched last year as part of Apple’s $500 billion investment commitment, the Manufacturing Academy is a free program pairing Apple engineers and MSU experts with small and medium-sized businesses to help them implement AI and intelligent manufacturing techniques. It is the only academy of its kind in North America and is open to businesses across the country. To date, it has supported more than 150 companies through dozens of in-person training sessions and recently added virtual programming.