(GFT: New York) -- Manufacturers are in the midst of one of the most significant transformations of their time, defined in large part by new AI-powered efficiencies. But for many companies, decades of siloed data stand between them and this new reality.

GFT has been working with Google Cloud since 2019 to implement the digital infrastructure that manufacturers need to bring their data into one place and put it to work for new AI use cases across the production life cycle. Now, they’re providing a hands-on look at how manufacturers can bring these use cases to life on their factory floors via the MxD (Manufacturing x Digital) innovation center.

The new demonstration will showcase real-life implementations of Google Cloud’s Manufacturing Data Engine (MDE). The cloud-based platform enables companies to store and analyze data from any machine across all of their factory floors. With these data in an easily accessible format, manufacturers can then leverage them for various AI and machine learning applications that make these factories run faster and smoother, including:

Predictive maintenance: With a holistic view of their real-time and historical data, companies can train AI models to analyze the health of their machinery across each one of their factories and deliver proactive alerts on any disruptions or inefficiencies before they happen.

Production forecasting:  Heightened data analytics enable manufacturers to derive insights from all of their operations and use them to streamline production by informing everything from future demand for their products to the resources required to make them.

Quality control: Using a combination of visual AI and robotic technology, manufacturers can take an automated approach to analyzing outputs from all of their machines. From there, a robotic arm removes any items from the production line that don’t meet predetermined standards.

“With so many new AI capabilities available to them, many companies are working to determine which use cases to put their resources toward in order to have the most significant—and in some cases, the most immediate—impact on their manufacturing processes,” says Scott Hofmann, chief revenue officer, U.S., at GFT. “Our latest work with Google Cloud gives manufacturers the tangible evidence they need to make these decisions and quickly execute on them.”

In joining forces at MxD, GFT and Google Cloud will further MxD’s mission to empower U.S. manufacturers with the technology, tools, and resources they need to compete in the global marketplace.

“Together with GFT, we’re not only demonstrating how manufacturers can transform their data, but their entire factory operations from end to end,” says Fabien Duboeuf, industry manager of manufacturing at Google Cloud. “This showcase provides a hands-on demonstration of how the art of the possible can be applied industrywide to introduce a level of innovation, agility, and efficiency required to meet customer’s expectations.”