Makino Addresses the Skills Gap, Amps Up Service Management with AI

About the Company

Makino is a global leader in CNC machining center design and digital innovation. Its horizontal and vertical machining centers are sold in 41 countries and are widely recognized as the most advanced in the world.

Responding to a Changing Landscape

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Makino saw an opportunity to reset its service operations with a data-first approach.

“The time had come to move beyond ‘this is how we’ve always done it,’” — Ken Creech, Director of Customer Support, Technical Operations – Americas, Makino

Makino also recognized shifts in the workforce post-COVID. The company focused on:

• Expanding training and creating clearer career paths
• Improving pay transparency and long-term growth opportunities
• Identifying how technology could help bridge the skills gap between junior and senior technicians

Empowering New Talent and Narrowing the Skills Gap

Makino:

• Developed a holistic career progression roadmap for new hires
• Enabled upward mobility across disciplines
• Identified that younger employees preferred modern learning approaches over time-consuming classroom sessions

‍

“An engineer on-site without access to the info they need is under immense pressure. We needed a better way to support them in real time.” — Ken Creech

‍

The “Ask Makino” Solution: AI at the Point of Need

Makino partnered with IFS for service management and integrated Aquant AI to unlock value from its decades of data.

• IFS manages customer history, work orders, equipment tracking, and scheduling
• Dashboards exposed inefficiencies like high internal lost costs (10–15%) and varying resolution times due to skill gaps
• Aquant AI turns Makino’s data into job-specific, expert-level guidance — in real time

“We uploaded service manuals so engineers could simply ask Aquant a question. Instead of reading 100 reports, they got the answer in seconds.”

‍

From Reactive Support to Proactive Enablement

What started as an internal tool evolved into a self-service solution for customers:

• Makino’s customers can now access the portal to troubleshoot issues independently
• Technical support teams use Aquant for triage, enhancing remote resolution

“With 20 years of IFS data, we’re using Aquant to heat map root causes and accelerate troubleshooting.”

‍

15% Increase in Remote Resolution

The shift in mindset was key:

• Technical support teams were reoriented to focus on mean-time-to-resolve instead of just response time
• Field engineers could focus on complex issues, while customers or support teams resolved simpler ones remotely

“This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about letting them focus on what they do best.”

Makino used:

• Internal champions (“mavens”) to increase adoption
• Incentives and trust-building to reduce skepticism — even among veteran staff

Preparing for AI: Data Readiness

Makino spent 3 months preparing its data:

• Standardized language and processes
• Hired 3 technical writers to turn tribal knowledge into usable documentation

“We knew our experts would try to stump Aquant. But even when it didn’t have an answer, it always admitted it — never gave a false response.”

‍

Looking Ahead: Smarter Service, Anytime

Makino’s vision:

“If a customer has a machine go down at 11 PM, they should be able to diagnose the issue, order the right part, and dispatch a tech — all before we even wake up the next day.”