Manufacturers no longer have the luxury of a wait and see approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A three-stage approach maximizes AI adoption success by starting with preparing a strong data foundation, moving to employing generative AI, and culminating in the implementation of native agentic AI.
Why Manufacturers Need to Adopt AI Now
Manufacturers who seize the AI opportunity today are positioning themselves to profoundly impact nearly every business function—sparking exponential growth, reduced overhead, and sharper competitiveness. Here’s why you can't afford to wait:
Drive Productivity
Efficiency meets savings
AI isn’t just smart—it's your smartest hire yet. According to Salesforce, 70% of manufacturers see technology and digital innovation as a transformational business driver. By automating routine tasks, AI frees your workforce to tackle higher-value projects, multiplying your productivity without multiplying your costs.
Speed Innovation
Stay ahead or fall behind
Your data already exists. Right at this moment, waiting for you to turn it into an ace up your sleeve. AI is your new competitive weapon, translating complex data into decisive action. Manufacturers adopting AI now aren't just competing—they’re dominating. Hesitate, and you’ll get left behind.
Fuel Business Growth
Decisions powered by precision
AI doesn’t just analyze—it anticipates and takes action. By continuously scanning vast datasets, AI algorithms highlight trends, detect anomalies instantly, and equip your teams to proactively address quality issues and make faster decisions. Imagine receiving your data neatly summarized into clear insights and next actions—no more guesswork, just growth.
70% of manufacturers see technology and digital innovation as a transformational business driver.
Three-Step Approach to Successful AI Adoption
1. Prepare your data foundation
Data readiness is one of the most significant challenges for effective AI. Its responses are only as good as the underlying data it receives, which may be limited by separated systems. In fact, 95% of IT leaders report integration as a hurdle to implementing AI effectively, according to Mulesoft.
Rather than being trapped in siloed applications, data must be integrated and connected across the business.
2. Employ secure generative AI
With your trusted data foundation established, generative AI models now have access to high-quality, relevant, and secure enterprise data. This allows AI to deliver outputs that are accurate, contextually aware, and aligned with your business standards.
Typical generative AI use cases include answering queries, drafting emails, and creating content based on enterprise data. For instance, by referencing the product maintenance guide and prior resolved cases, AI can provide a detailed summary to service teams on asset-specific repairs.
3. Adopt native agentic AI
The pinnacle of AI implementation for manufacturers is agentic AI, which moves beyond generating content toward taking action. Agentic solutions use intelligent workflows to analyze large data sets, summarize or recommend next steps, and then take relevant actions once they are approved.
Agentic systems tailor outputs to specific roles and proficiency levels, ensuring quicker ROI and enabling employees to make informed decisions rapidly. Rather than merely assisting, agentic AI actively initiates processes to stay ahead of potential issues.
Agentic AI is Here Today: Propel One
The future of business technology is through AI agents, with an emphasis on enhancing human potential and streamlining workflows.
Propel One is the only agentic enterprise AI solution that combines the power of a unified product data thread with the immediacy of native platform integration for quick adoption, ease of use, and complete data security.
While competitors scramble to retrofit AI into outdated platforms, Propel One is redefining what’s possible with the first truly integrated, enterprise-ready AI solution for PLM, QMS, PIM, and beyond.
The future belongs to those who embrace productivity as a mission—one where AI works with humans, data remains sacred, and enterprise systems are as adaptable as the organizations they serve.
Get the AI Playbook for Manufacturers
Our new AI Readiness Playbook, "AI Changes the Manufacturing Game. Are You Ready to Play?," outlines the urgency and opportunity for manufacturers to leverage the transformative power of AI, detailing how it can drive productivity, speed innovation, and fuel business growth.
Inside is an in-depth guide to the three-step approach to adopting AI for manufacturing, including a comprehensive look at how agentic AI drives value. Plus, learn how Propel One answers the call for AI-driven productivity.
Click here to get the playbook.
