Back in the summer, a new Apple Manufacturing Academy was announced, partnering with Michigan State University. The initiative provides free training and consultancy to American businesses to help them innovate their production processes.
Small businesses that received help from Apple engineers said that the company shared frank lessons about its “bendgate” experience …
Apple Manufacturing Academy
The US manufacturing sector has been in decline for many years, as American companies have struggled to compete with cheaper and more efficient production in countries like China. Apple believes that “smart manufacturing” – incorporating AI into the production process – can be part of the solution.
The company pledged to spend more than $600 billion in the US over a four-year period, some of which would be used to help US companies innovate – including an Apple Manufacturing Academy based in Detroit.
Apple said its focus would be on machine learning in manufacturing, automation in production, leveraging manufacturing data to improve product quality, and applying digital technologies to enhance operations.
The program gives small businesses in America access to both in-person and online training and consultancy.
Apple computer vision system
Wired reports on one of the success stories from this program, with around ten Apple employees helping ImageTek – a small manufacturer in Vermont – develop an automated system to check millions of labels for colour errors during production.
The Apple engineers developed a computer vision system to automatically identify color errors, and on one run it picked up bacon labels with a far-too-pinkish beige before they got shipped, according to Marji Smith, ImageTek’s president. She says the timely catch helped ImageTek from losing a crucial customer.
“We’re not a gigantic company, and we don’t have any AI or software team,” Smith says of the 31-year-old, 54-employee business. “What Apple is doing is positively impactful for us.”
ImageTek was originally one of over a hundred small manufacturers who attended free monthly workshops in Detroit, and said that the consultancy it was offered was an unexpected bonus.
What’s significant is that ImageTek and two other participants revealed to WIRED that they are receiving an unexpected bonus in the form of site visits and deep technical support from Apple employees.
Apple shared learnings from ‘bendgate’
The launch of the iPhone 6 Plus back in 2014 was somewhat overshadowed by a controversy dubbed “bendgate.”
Some owners found that the device bent while it was in their pockets. Apple said at the time that the problem affected only a tiny handful of individuals, and it did become clear that the issue had been blown out of proportion, but Academy participants say that the company was frank about its experiences and learnings during the trainings.
Academy participants believe they have been treated to unique candor, including about how Apple recovered from its 2014 Bendgate scandal, in which some iPhone 6 models warped in tight pockets.
The report doesn’t provide any specifics on the lessons learned by Apple.
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