CPAI Editorial

artificial intelligence

Research, field notes, and practical guidance from the CPAI community.

3 articles

Indirect labor: maintenance and sanitation cart beside a stopped machine

Insight September 30, 2026 9 min read

Indirect Labor in Manufacturing: Examples and Cost

Indirect labor in manufacturing is the cost of work that supports production but cannot be traced economically to one product or job. Common examples include production supervision, quality support, maintenance, sanitation, materials handling, and production planning. The cost may enter manufacturing overhead, but the hours should still be attached to the loss event, batch, or […]

by CPAI Editorial Team

Industrial AI August 20, 2026 11 min read

AI in food manufacturing: 3 control gaps automation still misses

Before adding AI to a food line, fix the control gaps behind wrong labels, packaging drift, and late production records. A practical plant guide.

by Isaiah Adegoke

Deborah Akande discussing AI-assisted food-safety investigations in food manufacturing

Industrial AI July 28, 2026 22 min read

AI Metal Detectors for Food Plants: Better Detection, Fewer False Rejects and Faster Investigations

An AI metal detector uses advanced signal processing, sometimes including machine learning, to distinguish metal contamination from the normal electromagnetic response of food and packaging. Its potential benefit is fewer false rejects without weaker metal detection. It still needs physical sensors, validated settings and reliable rejection equipment, and it cannot determine the root cause of contamination.

by Deborah Akande