Supply chain disruptions have become a defining challenge for manufacturers, especially in an era where tariff volatility intersects with increasingly complex production demands. To explore how industry leaders can respond with greater speed and confidence, I recently moderated a conversation with two industry experts: Philip Carpenito, former chief procurement officer at L3Harris Commercial Avionics, and Aaron Lober, vice president of marketing at CADDi. Our discussion focused on a key question: How can manufacturers use AI and structured data to move beyond reactive problem-solving and toward proactive, resilient decision-making? Drawing from live technology demos and lessons learned in real operations, we explored what it means to create clarity amidst disruption. What the AMT 2025 Q2 Tariff Survey Report Tells Us We began by examining the key findings from the AMT’s 2025 Q2 Tariff Survey Report. A full 86% of our members reported increased landed costs due to tariffs. More than half say those tariffs have disrupted their procurement and logistics planning: These findings reveal that the most significant impact of tariffs is not just cost but also instability. Tariffs act as unpredictable shocks, making lead times harder to forecast and production decisions harder to lock. Historically, manufacturers responded by trying to improve visibility. But visibility alone is no longer enough. What we need now is the ability to synthesize real-time insight from fragmented systems, distributed supplier networks, and siloed internal knowledge. This is where AI, when deployed thoughtfully, begins to unlock meaningful change. Structured Data, When Done Right, Becomes a Strategic Asset Lober’s demo of CADDi’s technology stood out for its focus on solving a real-world problem. Manufacturers have decades of valuable data trapped in documents that don’t talk to one another. This includes PDFs of 2D drawings, CAD files, inspection reports, purchase orders, design notes, and historical supplier scorecards and performance data. CADDi’s platform uses machine learning to unify and extract that data, allowing teams to identify relationships between files that would otherwise remain siloed. This is not just about efficiency. It enables better decision-making. An engineer can now understand why a design change was made five years ago. A procurement manager can identify redundant parts and overlapping sourcing patterns in seconds rather than days. This kind of structured insight creates a multiplier effect across teams and disciplines. It puts valuable institutional knowledge back into circulation. But Technology Alone Doesn’t Create Alignment. Leadership Does. Carpentino brought critical real-world context. He reminded us that AI is not about automation for its own sake. It is about enabling better collaboration. Procurement, engineering, manufacturing, and logistics teams must align on what success looks like, and then use shared data to drive toward it. Successful supplier management depends on three strategic goals: improving transparency and risk management, strengthening overall supply chain performance, and enabling greater agility in response to change. Each goal is interconnected and reinforced by intelligent data infrastructure. His advice was simple and powerful: Use AI tools to remove noise from your processes, not to replace judgment. Focus on what moves the needle for your organization. Start with a project that can drive measurable value, and then build on that momentum. One of the best takeaways from Carpentino was this: Don't try to boil the ocean. Focus on the project that helps you move faster than the chaos. The progression is clear: organizations that begin by implementing better planning systems and then build toward robust ERP integration can evolve into fully AI-enabled sourcing operations. This roadmap helps manufacturers scale their maturity in a deliberate way, starting with getting data digitalization done right first, then tooling up internal processes, followed by more advanced adoption of AI capabilities. One key takeaway for companies building smarter supplier operations is this: Improvement must come from both sides of the relationship. On the supplier engagement side, this means consistently tracking performance metrics, such as cost, quality, and delivery, and integrating that data across the OEM and supply base to understand risk and opportunities for support. On the procurement side, manufacturers are implementing end-to-end tools that reduce manual tasks, automate PO placement, and apply AI for real-time risk modeling and cost analysis. When both functions operate within a shared data environment, coordination becomes easier, conversations become more strategic, and decisions are grounded in facts, not assumptions. For Smaller Manufacturers, AI Is a Productivity Lever The truth is: Many small and medium-size manufacturers are still building their digital infrastructure that larger firms take for granted. In fact, 81% of U.S. and Canadian manufacturing businesses have fewer than 50 employees. For these teams, AI is not a luxury; it is a necessity. AI helps small teams respond faster, reduce time spent hunting for data, and have more reliable customer and supplier interactions. When structured properly, existing data can be a force multiplier, allowing companies to move with the same strategic clarity as their larger counterparts. If there is one insight I hope we took away, it is this: being data-driven is not about accumulating more data; it is about having the discipline to organize, structure, and apply what you already have. That foundation unlocks true supply chain responsiveness. When AI is combined with data discipline, human expertise, and a culture of collaboration, it becomes a powerful catalyst for agility. To find out more about CADDI, visit https://us.caddi.com/. Have an innovative manufacturing technology story to share with the IMTS community? We’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch.
Supply chain disruptions have become a defining challenge for manufacturers, especially in an era where tariff volatility intersects with increasingly complex production demands. To explore how industry leaders can respond with greater speed and confidence, I recently moderated a conversation with two industry experts: Philip Carpenito, former chief procurement officer at L3Harris Commercial Avionics, and Aaron Lober, vice president of marketing at CADDi.
Subscribe to Newsletters
Get the latest news from IMTS delivered to your inbox.