WMCO has embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an important strategic topic to help wood companies continue to transform and keep up with change. We will help wood manufacturers understand how AI can transform their processes and workforce, to adapt to this latest trend of change in 2026.
Embracing AI really starts with asking yourself to clearly identify what problem you are trying to solve, or process you want to improve. AI is also ultimately about your workforce: Not shrinking it, but helping your employees understand how AI can help them work more efficiently in their various job functions.
AI continues to evolve in quantum leaps from where it was even a couple months ago. This is because the data you feed an AI agent for a process each time you use it, makes it smarter for the next time. When you get multiple users using the same AI agent, you benefit from the data it received from other sources, and you don’t see where it comes from (that makes your data confidential to other users).
AI agents can be developed for the various processes specific to job functions in wood manufacturing. WMCO is working with AI developers now and will be launching AI agents to be available to members by subscription in the coming months. Examples of AI agents include estimating, accounts payable/receivable, production scheduling, time and attendance, and heath & safety for a start, and we haven’t mentioned the shop floor yet.
AI agents for these functions and others can decrease the amount of time it takes an employee to complete a task and decrease probability of errors. Estimating, for example, can take a professional estimator days or weeks to prepare depending on the complexity. AI can speed this up to increase through-put of job quotes, which can speed up sales and in turn ramp up production demand. An estimating AI agent can come dressed with some pre-populated data, but ultimately, you the user, must provide guard rails and parameters unique to your business and process to ensure accuracy and speed.
What we are learning so far about shop floor AI agents is that they require more unique data from you on your shop floor and are built with your unique objectives in mind to solve your problem or challenge you are having. It is still early days in terms of having lots of case study examples from the shop floor where companies have adopted AI agents in the production line specifically. We have attended many webinars and consulted with many experts, but very few concrete shop floor production examples are yet to emerge for sharing. It is just a matter of time.
This is where collaboration of the cluster model across all wood segments can become very powerful. We learn and explore this emerging opportunity together, within an ecosystem of collaboration and sharing. We are also developing relationships with experts and helping to raise the bar of understanding in the industry.
On April 16, WMCO hosted a webinar on AI in Wood Manufacturing, with more than 60 participants joining for an introductory session focused on building a practical understanding of how artificial intelligence can be applied within manufacturing environments. The session explored where AI fits into day-to-day operations, highlighting common administrative and planning inefficiencies, and outlining early-stage use cases such as workflow automation and data-driven decision support. The objective was to provide manufacturers with a clear, accessible starting point, particularly for those in the early stages of exploring AI.
The discussion reinforced an important takeaway: Successful AI adoption in manufacturing begins with strong data management, clearly defined processes, and a focus on targeted, high-impact opportunities. While the session remained introductory, it generated useful awareness and prompted further conversation among participants about where AI could realistically support their operations. WMCO will continue to build on this foundation through future sessions with deeper, more applied insights tailored to real-world wood manufacturing environments.
On June 18, WMCO’s Quarterly Networking Event will look at Workflow Automation & AI on the Shop Floor, Cyber Security Implications & Economic Trends Shaping Wood Manufacturing in 2026. This event features Mark Corker, president of Mitch Hub and Seredex who is building AI agents, Erez Zevulunov, director and president | M.I.T. Consulting, and CME Chief Economist Alan Arcand. The event will be hosted by Taurus Craco Machinery.
The AI journey for us in the advanced wood manufacturing industry needs to be a collaborative one where we can leverage each others knowledge and experience to raise the bar of our industry across all wood segments, to be globally competitive. Going forward, WMCO will continue to provide the forum and tools to do just that.
Not a member of WMCO yet? Now’s the time- don’t stay isolated or with just your sector. Join a larger discussion on how to be more competitive and sustain your business.
Get involved now with the only cluster for the wood industry in Canada.
You can learn more here:
www.wmco.ca, or contact us at
mbaker@wmco.ca
