ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Smart manufacturing
SMART MANUFACTURING:
WHY VISUAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE FACTORY’S HIDDEN DATA ASSET
Manufacturers have spent years connecting machines, systems and workflows. Gabriele Mangiafico, Business Development Manager, EMEA, Axis Communications, explains why video now belongs in the smart factory data layer
R
ising operational costs are a pressure point UK manufacturing cannot ignore. In recent independent research
commissioned by Axis, 57% cited costs as the major challenge, a problem that sits alongside quality and visibility as areas where manufacturers most want better operational insight. Factories already collect data from production systems, maintenance platforms and planning tools, but video, one of the richest sources of evidence, is still often left out of the equation.
Cameras already sit across production lines, warehouses, loading bays and quality checkpoints. Yet only 18% of manufacturers use video technology to support productivity, even though 39% see productivity as its greatest future value. To treat cameras as assets reviewed only after incidents or investigations leaves much of that value untapped.
10 July/August 2026 | Automation
How industrial vision AI adds context to smart factory data The problem in smart manufacturing is rarely a lack of data to work with. Smart factories are very good at recording events. A line stopped or a defect rate increased, for example. But those signals rarely explain the scene around the event. This is where visual intelligence earns its place. It gives operational data the context, the ‘why’ behind an event.
Only 16% of manufacturers fully integrate security technology data into operational decision-making. Visual intelligence can help bridge the gap between operational data and real-world events, showing what was moving, missing, delayed or deviating from the expected. For manufacturers, the value of video analytics is clearest in three areas when context changes outcomes: quality, flow and safety.
Video can contribute to improve quality assurance, for example. Video analytics complement the inspection process, enabling faster reviews, earlier intervention, and a strong evidence trail. The cost of a quality issue rises as it travels down the line; a missed component or assembly error is far easier to fix at the station than it is to correct once the product has left the factory. The BMW Group uses Axis network cameras as part of the AIQX platform in its iFACTORY smart manufacturing initiative, supporting AI-driven inspection in vehicle production. Real-time images allow production staff to identify defects as part of the production process, with video analytics generating prompts for potential issues. In one application, for example, the system helps to verify whether the correct rating plate has been applied in the correct position.
Using AI video analytics to improve OEE, throughput and defect detection More directly, video can be used as a core component of industrial process monitoring. Nestlé uses Axis products
automationmagazine.co.uk
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