KI & process automation for Swiss manufacturing
Automate the repetitive, rule-based work in your operation and turn shopfloor data into real-time transparency. We combine process automation (RPA), AI that reads unstructured documents, and digital shopfloor management, built for manufacturing SMEs in the DACH region.
From manual routine to automated flow
Same process, less manual work: people supervise the automated flow.
Before
- Documents arrive
- Data is retyped
- Numbers go to spreadsheets
- Status is chased by phone
- Errors surface late
After
- AI reads documents
- Rules run without retyping
- Data flows to ERP and MES
- Shopfloor data stays live
- Deviations are flagged
People stay in control: automation and AI propose, your team decides. Routine runs on its own, exceptions go to a person.
See how we automated order processing for a Swiss manufacturing SME. View the order-processing use case
What process automation is and how a roll-out works
Process automation means letting software handle rule-based, repetitive steps. RPA (Robotic Process Automation) runs those steps; AI reads unstructured documents like PDFs and emails. Together they turn manual work into a supervised, automated flow.
- 01
Analyse the process
We identify repetitive, rule-based tasks such as retyping data, moving files and chasing status.
Automate the right steps first
- 02
Automate rule-based steps
RPA reads, validates and transfers fields the same way every time, without breaks or typos.
Fewer errors, no copy-paste
- 03
Extend with AI
AI extracts relevant fields from varied document layouts that plain rules cannot handle.
Handles messy real-world documents
- 04
Roll out and scale
We connect one process to your ERP or MES; once reliable, we extend it step by step.
Start small, grow with confidence
Digital shopfloor management
Live dashboards make machine and process data visible to production and planning.
DUAP dashboards
Ten real-time dashboards draw live data from a legacy ERP.
Around 30 engineering hours
The Production Control Center was built in around 30 engineering hours.
Data stays in-house
DUAP's production data never leaves the building.
One shared picture
At maxon, machine and process data are made usable for shopfloor and planning.
What you gain
Concrete outcomes from process automation and digital shopfloor management in a manufacturing SME.
Automated processes
Fewer errors
RPA runs rule-based steps the same way every time, so there is no manual retyping and far fewer wrong quantities or mixed-up numbers.
Connects to ERP and MES
Data flows into your existing ERP and MES through their interfaces. No system replacement, no parallel spreadsheets.
Time back for your team
Routine data entry runs on its own, so people spend their hours on customers and exceptions instead of copy-paste.
We built exactly this at DUAP: live shopfloor data pulled out of a legacy ERP. Read the DUAP case study
Shopfloor transparency
Real-time visibility
Live dashboards show what is running, what is stalling and where the bottleneck is, right now, on the shopfloor.
Faster, grounded decisions
When floor and planning see the same picture, decisions are based on current data instead of phone calls and gut feeling. It is the practical path toward a smart factory.
Your data stays in-house
Shopfloor data can be interpreted on site, so sensitive production data never has to leave the building.
With maxon we worked on closing the shopfloor data gap. Read the maxon case study
Questions about process and AI automation
What process automation, RPA and digital shopfloor management mean, and how they fit a manufacturing SME.
What is process automation?
Process automation means letting software carry out rule-based, repetitive steps that a person would otherwise do by hand, such as reading a value, checking it and writing it into the next system. Combined with AI, it also handles unstructured documents like PDFs and emails.
What does AI automation cost?
It depends on the process and how many systems are involved. We deliberately start small: one process, connected to your ERP or MES, with a clear scope. In a free scoping call we look at your workflow and give you a realistic estimate before you commit to anything.
What is digital shopfloor management?
Digital shopfloor management makes the data your machines and systems produce visible in real time, usually on live dashboards. Instead of collecting numbers in spreadsheets after the fact, floor and planning see the same current picture and can act on it. For DUAP we built a Production Control Center with ten real-time shopfloor dashboards from a legacy ERP.
What is the difference between process automation and RPA?
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is one technique within process automation: software that mimics the clicks and keystrokes a person makes across existing applications. Process automation is the broader goal of removing manual, repetitive work, using RPA, direct interfaces, AI document reading or a combination, whatever fits the process best.
Who is this built for?
For manufacturing SMEs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland that want to cut manual data entry and get a real-time view of their shopfloor. Our focus is AI and automation for manufacturing, not generic web development.
... and factorIQ turns it into a product
We build process automation and shopfloor transparency as a project for your operation. factorIQ turns the same capability into a product: AI that reads your incoming documents and hands structured data to your ERP, out of the box.
See it on your own processes
Book a demo and scoping call. We look at one of your processes and your shopfloor data and show what automation and digital shopfloor management would take for your ERP or MES. No obligation.