From AI Pilot to Rollout: How to Avoid Pilot Purgatory
Pilot purgatory is an AI pilot that neither wins nor fails, it just lingers in extensions. Why pilots get stuck and how to tell when yours is ready for a go/no-go call.
·4 min read·Fryderyk
Cluster
Manufacturing.
9 notes
This cluster is for owners and operations directors in 50–500-person factories who want to decide on AI based on numbers, not hype. We show how to assess readiness (5 questions), how to calculate ROI that survives a board review, what NOT to put in a business case, and what a real 8-week pilot looks like, what's feasible and what's marketing. We also address "shadow AI": why drawings and documents end up in ChatGPT anyway, and what to do about it without bans that don't work. When the honest answer is "not yet", we say so, because the healthiest sign of maturity is being willing to reject a project that won't deliver.
Notes in this cluster
AI in Production Planning: Where It Helps, Where It Fails
AI in production planning: where it genuinely helps and where it only creates an illusion of control. Which scheduling and APS uses hold up, and which are vendor promises.
·5 min read·Fryderyk Pryjma
Build vs Buy AI in Manufacturing: Own Model or Off-the-Shelf
Build your own AI model or buy a ready one. An honest decision framework for manufacturers: maintenance cost, people, time to value, and risk. When buying wins, and when building makes sense.
·4 min read·Fryderyk Pryjma
Choosing an AI Vendor for Manufacturing: 10 Questions Before the RFP
Before you send the RFP, ask these ten questions. They separate an AI vendor that's ready for production from a polished slide deck.
·2 min read
AI Pilot in a Factory in 8 Weeks: What Is Real and What Is Marketing
A meaningful AI pilot in manufacturing fits into 8 weeks, but only as an answer to one narrow question. What you can validate, and what is just a sales line.
·4 min read·Fryderyk
Shadow AI in the Engineering Department: Why Drawings End Up in ChatGPT
Engineers paste drawings and technical descriptions into public AI tools because it speeds up their work. We show where know-how actually leaks and how to respond without bans that do not work anyway.
·6 min read·Fryderyk
AI in Maintenance: Three Uses That Work, Two That Disappoint
AI in maintenance is sold on the promise of "predict every failure." Here are three uses that actually work in a mid-sized plant, and two that usually end in disappointment, plus why the difference comes down to entry conditions, not the technology.
·5 min read·Fryderyk Pryjma
Is your manufacturing company ready for AI? 5 questions to ask first
Before you launch an AI pilot, answer five questions. They tell you whether your company is ready to deploy, or just chasing a trend. A simple self-check for mid-sized manufacturers.
·5 min read·Fryderyk
AI ROI in manufacturing: how to build the business case
How do you build an honest business case for AI in manufacturing? Which benefits to count, which to leave out, what hidden costs to include, and a ready ROI worksheet to fill in with your own numbers.
·6 min read
Related clusters
FAQ
- Where to start with AI in a factory?
- One narrow, repeatable document-based process with a clear "good outcome" and a decision sponsor.
- How to calculate ROI?
- Recovered hours × rate, fewer errors, shorter cycle, no soft image benefits. Measure payback in months.
- How long is a pilot?
- Realistically 6–8 weeks for a narrow use case with a pre-agreed success criterion.