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42 Pallet C e nt ral • July -Aug u st 2 0 25 AI AI ON BOTH SIDES How Smarter Businesses And Smarter Customers Are Crea ng A New Dynamic BY NWPCA TEAM A rtificial intelligence is no longer just a tool for IT departments or tech startups. In 2025, AI is woven into the fabric of daily business operations, powering everything from design and logistics to customer service and procurement. But perhaps the most disruptive shift isn't just how companies are using AI; it's how their customers are using it, too. Today's most competitive manufacturers aren't simply optimizing from the inside out. ey're responding to a new breed of customer. One that's digitally fluent, data-driven, and equipped with its own AI tools. is evolving customer base is reshaping every touchpoint, from quoting to delivery, demanding greater speed, visibility, and value. Inside The Business: Smarter, Faster, Leaner AI adoption in manufacturing often begins with operational efficiency. It is used to forecast demand, streamline quoting, reduce downtime, and fine-tune production workflows. Manufacturers leveraging AI to align production schedules with historical trends and live orders are cutting bottlenecks and improving on-time delivery by up to 12%, according to system providers like Optimum7, Mavlon, and Paperless Parts. ese companies also report that integrating AI-powered quoting tools can reduce average response times from 48 hours to under 15 minutes. ese internal gains are real, but they only tell half the story. On the other side of every transaction, customers are getting smarter too.

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