SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Curiosity weaved its way through the Hose and Belt Conference Oct. 1-2, piquing during the myriad technical discussions that highlighted the gathering.
Brent Lilly's talk on the virtues and vices of artificial intelligence was no exception.
"A lot of people have curiosity about AI, but do not understand some of the risks associated with it," Lilly, vice president of sales and marketing for Enid, Okla.-based PT Coupling, said during his Oct. 1 presentation. "What I want to offer you today is something that may upset the apple cart, and could help things be less challenging moving forward.
"I hope this information helps galvanize action for your business plan."
Lilly has more than four decades of experience in the hose and belt space, as PT Coupling is one of the largest producers and distributors of hose quick connect and disconnect fittings in the world.
Lilly has worked for Gates Corp., Titan Industries, Parker-Hannifin and HBD/Thermoid during his career.
Now at PT Coupling, Lilly and his team have integrated AI features into several points on their business platform, including material selection and procurement; product design; quality control and inventory; and operations management.
"I see AI as both a blessing and a curse," Lilly told the audience at the Rubber News-organized conference. "You can't just jump on the train because it is the newest and greatest thing.
"But AI certainly will be used more going forward as we look at product development and design."