Host Anne-Marie Henson sits down with Paul Dostaler, BDO’s Partner and National Manufacturing and Distribution Leader, to unpack how manufacturers can move beyond pilots and start scaling AI effectively. They explore the current pace of AI adoption in Canada, the roadblocks many businesses face, and what’s needed to realize long-term ROI. The episode features data from Momentum: BDO's Manufacturing and Distribution Leadership Report.

To explore more findings, visit the report page.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

[1:33] AI overview: Rate of adoption and key trends.

[5:08] Challenges in AI adoption.

[9:30] Considerations for scaling AI.

[12:02] The connection between warehousing, logistics, supply chains, and financial reporting.

[14:05] An overview of the BDO Boost AI tool.

[18:21] Regulatory and compliance considerations.

[21:45] Top considerations for businesses to realize and maximize ROI.

[25:17] Economic uncertainty and AI.

Mentioned:

Anne-Marie Henson

Paul Dostaler

BDO

Momentum Report

Quotes:

"AI is different than other technologies. It's not just a standalone tool, it's actually more of a muscle. And so the more that you use AI, the better it becomes and the more potential for ROI that it has."

“More and more manufacturers are choosing digital transformation as a means to adapt to all of the current events and the changing environments.”

"Look holistically at your business and think about the parts that are taking you the most time and start thinking about what more sophistication around automation and generation might help speed up those workloads."

“Organizations really need to understand that adopting AI means experimenting, it means having successes and failures, and it means charting a path that brings the most benefit.”

“Everything that the business does is in support of clean and effective financial reporting. And so really good inputs create good outputs, and getting more insight into those inputs further creates better results.”