“By the time we meet at the convention, it will be completely different. And that’s the best part.”
Randy Carr, president and CEO of World Emblem, made that comment recently when we chatted about the growth of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and its implications for manufacturing and the uniform industry.
Artificial Intelligence has the ability to learn and keeps learning. It can create from words, images, videos and computer applications, using the data to create more data, following the rules they’ve learned. It can create content, solutions or ideas based upon that data.
In business, A.I. is changing the ways thought leaders think about innovation, efficiency and growth. Leading the charge in our space is Randy Carr.
Carr will share his insights with manufacturers at NAUMD’s upcoming convention, offering practical steps to implement A.I. and technology advancements in business, and will project what the future holds for those who embrace the shift – and those who don’t.
World Emblem Investment in A.I.
World Emblem is currently spending $50,000 monthly on generative A.I., with the goal of seeing a return on investment in 24 months. The technology is being leveraged in part to mitigate inflation and tariffs (Carr believes tariffs will be implemented and are not a negotiating tactic), and to offset rising labor costs.
The company’s strategy is centered on three areas of its business, with automation a top priority. “Much of the work being done can be automated,” said Carr. “Our goal is to automate everything from the time a customer hits our website to the time the artwork hits our art department, stripping out a lot of the waste.”
He expects to see the fastest return in the area of production. World Emblem currently has about 1,000 physical operators; by running years of production data through generative A.I. models, the company hopes to uncover opportunities for improvement.
The technology is also being used to analyze logistics costs, helping reconcile freight expenses, reduce redundancies and overall costs.
Increasing Speed and Quality
Most businesses in the uniform industry run on tight margins. With wages on the rise, margins are being further squeezed. Wage inflation at World Emblem is about 40 percent since 2019 according to Carr. By using A.I. to bring information to clients faster and more accurately, the company hopes to rein in costs. Through the use of chatbots, customers are able to access information on a 24/7 basis, whenever they want it, at some point you will be talking to a bot and not even know it, I’m going to guess within 24 months. “And yes, some people still want to talk to a live person, but most just want to go online and be done with it, .” Art that took five days to complete could be cut down to seconds, a win for both. Speeding up the creative process means customers can close sales faster.
World Emblem wants to create a situation where images are vectorized before they hit the art department. ”Most customers give poor artwork to begin with,” notes Carr. The use of vectorized images, especially with embroidery, results in crisp lines and sharper images, a better end product the first time around. “A.I. not only increases the speed, but the quality. You get the image right the first time, rather than relying on 100 artists with varying interpretations.”
Employee Resistance
In an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last month, A.I. startup Anthropic CEO and founder Dario Amodei predicted that A.I. models may surpass human capabilities “in almost everything” within two to three years.
It is unsurprising, then, that there would be pushback from employees given the technology’s implications. Carr acknowledges the resistance, but notes that the use of A.I. is in line with the company’s business model. Under his tenure, World Emblem has implemented numerous new technologies and methodologies that have led it to become a leading embroidery manufacturer. “We’ll see where it goes,” said Carr.” It’s like buying a piece of equipment. It depends on what you get in return.”
What Manufacturers Can Do Now
If you’re thinking about investing in A.I. technology, start small. Clean up your data and identify areas where A.I. can streamline your operations. Set up Chat GPT models to assist with your day to day workflow. And prioritize chatbots for customer support. Gradually scale up based on results.
And if you’re A.I. phobic, get a primer and real-world examples by watching readily available YouTube videos, an activity Carr himself does daily.
Another tip? Learn from current and past business leaders – both living and dead – by using A.I. “Using relevant company prompts, I’ll ask how successful thought leaders might handle a particular situation,” said Carr. “I wind up gaining a new and better perspective.” It’s also a great tool for those with Type A or strong personalities: the software can be used to learn how to communicate in more effective, less off-putting ways.
Danger of Falling Behind
AI Technology is expected to rapidly transform the apparel and uniform manufacturing sector over the next several years as companies seek to reduce waste, cut costs and improve customer satisfaction. Carr believes that those who don’t embrace the trend early risk falling behind or worse.
“Companies who embrace this will grow; those that don’t in three years will be gone.”
You can learn more about how A.I. is being used in the uniform industry during Randy Carr’s presentation on April 28th at NAUMD’s convention in New Orleans. After the talk, Randy will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding using the software in your business.
Learn more about World Emblem by visiting https://www.worldemblem.com/
