Corry Higher Education Council

The NWIRC welcomes you to join this lunch & learn event, ‘AI Ready Manufacturing: Get Your Data House in Order’. This isn’t just another tech talk—it’s a practical deep dive into how clean, purposeful data can drive better decisions and unlock real-world AI applications. This session is ideal for manufacturers who want to build a stronger data foundation and explore AI without the hype—just real strategies, real tools, and real stories.

Why Data Quality Matters More Than Ever: Before AI can deliver insights, your data needs to be trustworthy. This session will walk participants through 11 common data defects—issues that often go unnoticed but quietly undermine strategy, quality, and performance. You’ll learn how to align data types with strategic goals and how thoughtful collection and analysis can transform raw information into actionable intelligence.

AI in Action: Lessons from the Shop FloorA special guest in manufacturing to share their journey and best practices related to data and AI.

Data That Delivers: Strategy, Quality & Insight -Dive into the intersection of strategy and data quality, exploring how the right type of data—and the processes behind it—can elevate decision-making. Participants will examine 11 common defects found in both data and its collection process, then connect data types to strategic goals. The session will progress through quality assurance, thoughtful collection, synthesis, and analysis, highlighting how clean, purposeful data becomes apowerful tool for insight.

AI in Action: Pilots, Plans & Possibilities -Examples of initiatives across compliance, certifications, inspections planning, finance, tooling, and more. With projects ranging from early ideation to full-on piloting - this is an opportunity for information sharing so the group can learn from each other.

There will be a round table discussion giving the manufacturer's the opportunity to discuss what their current AI plan is and what they are doing to get their data prepared. There will also be discussion regarding assistance for technology education and implementation, including grant funding opportunities.

The 'lunch with a purpose' will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 11a - 1:30p at the Corry Higher Education Council. Preregistration is required by visiting www.nwirc.org/events . There is no cost to register; lunch will be provided.