Executive / Senior Management 6 weeks, 3 hours per week

AI Strategy for Manufacturing Leaders

Duration 6 weeks, 3 hours per week

Level Executive / Senior Management

Seats remaining 9

Format Online lecture

9 places left — enrolment closes when full

4,200 CAD Price covers all sessions, the readiness diagnostic tool, three investment scenario workbooks, and a 90-minute individual debrief with the program lead after completion.

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Program outline

Program Stages

Stage 1 — AI landscape in manufacturing: current state and realistic timelines
Stage 2 — Organizational readiness diagnostic and gap analysis
Stage 3 — Building and stress-testing an AI business case
Stage 4 — Vendor selection, contract structure, and pilot design
Stage 5 — Workforce transition planning and change management
Stage 6 — Governance frameworks and ongoing performance review

Each stage includes a structured discussion with a peer cohort of manufacturing leaders, allowing comparison of approaches across different facility types and sectors.

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About this program

Most AI projects in manufacturing fail not because the technology does not work, but because the organizational conditions for using it were never established.

What this program addresses

This is not a technical course. It is designed for people who need to ask the right questions of technical teams, vendors, and consultants. You will learn how to read an AI project proposal critically, identify common gaps in vendor claims, and structure a phased implementation that accounts for workforce readiness and data infrastructure.

Financial evaluation and risk framing

A significant portion of the program covers how to build a business case for AI investment without overstating projected returns. You will work through three investment scenarios with realistic cost structures, including data preparation, integration, retraining, and the often-overlooked cost of change management.

Organizational readiness

The program includes a diagnostic tool for assessing your facility's current AI readiness across six dimensions: data maturity, technical talent, process documentation, leadership alignment, vendor management capability, and workforce adaptability. Participants leave with a written readiness report and a prioritized 90-day action plan specific to their context.

Vendor evaluation: Structured frameworks for assessing AI vendor claims and contract terms
Workforce transition: Practical approaches to reskilling and role redesign alongside automation
Governance: How to set up internal oversight for AI systems in regulated environments