A paper manufacturer got more out of its AI sensors with a simple administrative fix
In Domtar's war room, workers can review the trove of data collected by its AI-assisted Waites sensors. Courtesy of Domtar Domtar's AI sensors help predict equipment issues to prevent costly machine failures. A Domtar reliability engineer kick-started an in-depth collaboration with the sensor company. Domtar's collaboration with Waites led to better data utilization for reducing machine downtime. Early in Matthew McLaughlin's tenure as a reliability engineer at Domtar, a motor at the paper manufacturer's Kingsport, Tennessee, mill failed. McLaughlin said his manager asked him to review the entire day's sensor data, collected from 450 sensors, and recommend a fix for the motor — but he knew that was an impossible task. "It would take 32 weeks for me to analyze all the data we were getting in one day," McLaughlin, who joined the company in 2024, told Business Insider. As manufacturing companies adopt promising new AI technologies, they often face the challenge of learning to do things differently, like implementing new tools and processes to get the most out of their technological investments. In the years prior to McLaughlin's arrival, Domtar implemented AI-assisted sensors from Wai
In Domtar's war room, workers can review the trove of data collected by its AI-assisted Waites sensors. Courtesy of Domtar Domtar's AI sensors help predict equipment issues to prevent costly machine failures. A Domtar reliability engineer kick-started an in-depth collaboration with the sensor company. Domtar's collaboration with Waites led to better data utilization for reducing machine downtime. Early in Matthew McLaughlin's tenure as a reliability engineer at Domtar, a motor at the paper manufacturer's Kingsport, Tennessee, mill failed. McLaughlin said his manager asked him to review the entire day's sensor data, collected from 450 sensors, and recommend a fix for the motor — but he knew that was an impossible task. "It would take 32 weeks for me to analyze all the data we were getting in one day," McLaughlin, who joined the company in 2024, told Business Insider. As manufacturing companies adopt promising new AI technologies, they often face the challenge of learning to do things differently, like implementing new tools and processes to get the most out of their technological investments. In the years prior to McLaughlin's arrival, Domtar implemented AI-assisted sensors from Wai
