Accenture and Avanade have partnered with Microsoft to create an agentic factory intelligence system designed to address manufacturing downtime, with plans to make the product widely available in 2026.
Early implementation is underway at Kruger and Nissha Metallizing Solutions, where manufacturers are testing the system to evaluate its performance and assess its impact on operations.
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The intelligence system uses AI agents to support factory operators by checking equipment status, identifying problems, and guiding users through troubleshooting procedures when production lines do not perform as expected.
It evaluates operational context, machine history, and production data before suggesting potential problems and recommending actions.
If further assistance is required, the system can help generate maintenance requests or initiate orders for spare parts.
The agentic factory leverages Microsoft technologies including Azure, Fabric, Foundry, and Copilot.
Companies can access it through a subscription model, allowing them to expand usage as the value becomes evident.
The system operates on the Accenture and Avanade Factory Agents and Analytics platform. It gathers data from sources such as manufacturing execution systems, machine and sensor telemetry, control systems and maintenance records, as well as unstructured materials like manuals and process documentation.
Using Microsoft Fabric as its data infrastructure and Foundry to analyse information, the AI agents provide guidance suited to different roles via conversational interfaces at the point of work.
At present, Kruger and Nissha Metallizing Solutions are assessing the tool in their production settings to inform ongoing development and contribute feedback for potential scaling.
Microsoft manufacturing and mobility industry corporate vice president Dayan Rodriguez said: “Agentic AI is the next step for manufacturers like Kruger and Nissha Metallizing Solutions to turn data into outcomes.
“By bringing together Microsoft’s AI, Accenture and Avanade’s manufacturing expertise, and client validation, we’re building factory agents and analytics that help teams work smarter and make better decisions.”
Accenture, Avanade, and Microsoft plan to present the product at Hannover Messe in 2026.
Their collaboration represents a broader effort to integrate AI agents and human teams within manufacturing environments to improve safety, productivity, and consistency across factory sites.
