Manufacturers have always worked to eliminate such inefficiencies as unused material, excess motion, and idle machines. But some of the most persistent inefficiencies aren’t on the shop floor; they’re in inboxes, phone calls, spreadsheets, and repetitive administrative tasks that quietly consume time and mental energy every day. AI is now proving to be one of the most effective tools for removing that hidden friction – while simultaneously empowering workers.Finding Inefficiency Where It HidesReata Engineering & Machine Works is applying AI as a practical extension of existing systems; for example, it works with their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. “Our ERP determines, based on what’s scheduled for customer jobs, what materials need to be ordered and when,” explains Adam Zaouague, Reata’s automation and data specialist. From there, an AI agent, still in development, will step in. “The vendor agent that we’re building now will autonomously communicate with our vendors,” he says. Tom Finnelli, Reata’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, adds, “We’re going a step further: we’re aiming to automate purchasing too, using that same framework from our vendor model.”This kind of application is becoming increasingly common across manufacturing. Hexagon (IMTS booth #134102) demonstrated that its Hexagon ProPlanAI tool reduced CNC programming time by up to 75%. While the use case differs, the underlying goal is the same: remove friction from processes that slow skilled people down, and let technology handle routine tasks.Keeping Skilled Workers Focused on High-Value WorkAt Reata, that focus means targeting inefficiencies where they often go unnoticed. In manufacturing, progress isn’t always driven by sweeping changes – it often comes from streamlining everyday workflows, improving visibility, and removing friction from communication.Rather than pulling skilled professionals into routine status checks, AI manages vendor outreach and tracks responses in the background, allowing purchasing teams to stay focused on higher-level decision-making, problem-solving, and relationship management. The system works continuously and surfaces only the situations that genuinely require human insight.As Finnelli puts it, the goal is to eliminate low-level administrative burdens so people can spend more time applying their expertise. “There are so many things purchasing professionals do that require critical thinking and judgment,” he explains. “That’s where humans bring real value – and AI helps support that.”Importantly, AI helps maximize workers’ time for skilled tasks by letting technology handle routine tasks – supporting people rather than replacing them. Zaouague emphasizes that AI is designed to complement the workforce by offering suggestions, organizing information, and reinforcing decision-making. In practice, it becomes a collaborative tool that strengthens human capabilities. Reata's AI-enabled daily summary of work.That enhancement extends into training and knowledge transfer. AI-generated daily shipping reports summarize priorities, highlight opportunities to ship early, and guide teams toward what matters most. On the shop floor, AI assists with saw scheduling, suggesting intuitive job sequences, and helping newer employees build decision-making instincts. “The AI gives new employees something to learn on and eventually take that learning into decisions,” Zaouague says.Making this work requires more than software. It requires the right mindset and talent. “The first thing you need is an open mind – the possibilities are often endless,” Finnelli says. You also need people who can bridge worlds. “You need someone like Adam [Zaouague] who understands data, technology, and software, but also manufacturing; someone who can marry those together into something intuitive.”AI is reshaping what this bridge-between-disciplines role looks like. “Now with AI writing code, you can spend more time fitting things together and thinking about the end goal,” says Zaouague. “I want to give everyone in manufacturing administration and on the floor that same enablement I felt using these tools.”Reata’s Big PictureWhat’s happening today is only the beginning. “The vendor and purchasing agent are really just the tip of the iceberg,” Finnelli says. Reata is building toward a generalized agentic system that can support customer service, order entry, engineering, and order review, all of which ask a simple question: What’s taking up thinking space, and how can AI handle it?Despite skepticism about an AI bubble, the team remains confident. “We’ve only touched a small fraction of what’s possible,” Zaouague says. Beyond efficiency, the hope is broader: “We want tools like this to attract more people to manufacturing.”For those watching from the sidelines, the message is clear: “Just because we’re at the very beginning of AI revolution doesn’t mean you should wait,” Finnelli says. “The more open and adaptable you are, the better off you’ll be in the long run.”Reata strongly urges other machine shops to sustainably embrace AI by starting automation with the most tedious tasks. AMT’s Ryan Kelly put it this way: “we're standing at the next inflection point… AI is now being layered onto every tool, process, and system.”AI will be featured prominently at IMTS 2026, taking place September 14–19, in Chicago. Reserve your spot now to see the latest developments in AI-enabled manufacturing processes.Find out how to begin your transition to AI and read about more successes:AI in Manufacturing: A Field Guide for Small ManufacturersAI in Manufacturing: Operations and Production, Part 1AI in Manufacturing: Sales and Customer Engagement, Part 2AI in Manufacturing: Logistics and Supply Chains, Part 3AI in Manufacturing: Administration and HR, Part 4

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