AMB 2026 AI agents turn manufacturing data into action

Related Vendors

Aptean Germany GmbH

AMPCO METAL Deutschland GbmH

Renishaw plc

Embedded AI agents can connect ERP, MES and quality management data to automate routine tasks and identify potential problems earlier. At AMB 2026, Aptean will demonstrate how vertical AI can support machining and precision manufacturing operations.

At AMB 2026, Aptean will demonstrate how artificial intelligence can be integrated into existing manufacturing processes in practical ways. The company’s presence at Stand C29 in Hall 2 will focus on industry-specific vertical AI applications embedded directly into ERP, MES and quality management systems. Using oxaion ERP, the Syncos MES solution and the AppCentral platform, Aptean will show how machining and precision manufacturing companies can use their data to automate processes, accelerate decision-making and improve transparency in production. The presentation will also include sycat ONE, a platform for AI-supported quality, document and process management.

AMB is regarded as one of the most important meeting places for the international metalworking industry. More than 1,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries will present current developments covering the entire value chain in Stuttgart, from machine tools and automation solutions to digital manufacturing and quality assurance systems. According to Arno Schlingermann, Senior Solutions Consultant Sales at Aptean Germany, artificial intelligence has already become established in industrial practice: “When speaking to machining or precision manufacturing companies today, there is hardly any need to raise the subject of AI yourself, as it now comes up on its own. For these companies, the key question is no longer whether they should use AI, but where it can deliver tangible value in their day-to-day operations.”

AI agents perform tasks instead of merely providing data

AppCentral brings together applications, data and workflows from ERP, MES, CAQ and EAM systems in a cloud-based platform. At its core is Aptean Intelligence, an AI layer featuring embedded AI agents that access structured and unstructured information from all connected systems in real time and perform tasks independently, rather than merely generating reports. In manufacturing, this can include proactive alerts about potential delivery delays, the automated handling of recurring routine tasks and natural-language queries across multiple systems, such as requests for the current status of an order based on ERP and MES data.

The benefits are also apparent in procurement. By combining external signals such as material prices or changes in customs duties with internal purchasing data, Aptean Intelligence can provide early indications of which current orders may come under economic pressure. The AI agents do not replace the ERP system, but extend it with proactive, task-executing capabilities.

AI-supported quality and document management

Vertical AI is not limited to ERP and MES. With sycat ONE, Aptean also offers an AI-supported quality management platform that brings together processes, quality, documents and knowledge transfer in a single environment, creating traceable, automated and audit-ready manufacturing processes.

Alongside AI-supported process modelling and automation, the platform integrates employee training more closely into operational workflows. Training courses and instructions are delivered directly through the platform rather than through separate applications. Agentic AI also handles automated workflows, including document control and the verification of employee qualifications.

Vertical AI: Context makes the difference

Andreas Theel, Solutions Consultant at Aptean, explains what distinguishes industry-specific AI from a general-purpose language model: “Vertical AI understands the processes, data and rules of the respective industry and forms part of the system architecture from the outset, rather than being connected retrospectively via an interface. In metal machining, this means that the AI understands what an order, batch or deviation means within the respective system and can act accordingly, instead of merely generating text.”

Theel adds that a general AI assistant cannot provide this context because it lacks access to the established processes and permission structures of a manufacturing company.

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