- April 11, 2025
BOSTON - April 8, 2025 - Global software developer eschbach, the provider of the Shiftconnector enterprise manufacturing platform for process manufacturing, is proud to unveil a powerful new chat feature within its AI-powered assistant, SAMI (Shiftconnector Artificial Manufacturing Intelligence). The new chat capability allows users to interact with their operations’ data in natural language, unlocking real-time, context-aware insights to support faster troubleshooting, smarter decision-making and seamless access to historical knowledge. eschbach will be demonstrating SAMI’s chat feature and the full Shiftconnector platform in Booth #8 at AVEVA World 2025.
As an embedded AI assistant, SAMI captures institutional knowledge and transforms plant data into actionable insights—right within the Shiftconnector platform. With the new chat feature, manufacturing employees no longer need to navigate complex interfaces or dig through reports to find data. Instead, they can simply ask questions in natural language, just like talking to a colleague. For example, a team member might ask, “What happened on the last shift?” and receive a clear, contextual summary of key events and actions taken. Follow-up questions like “What was done to resolve the issue on Line 2?” or “What’s the recommended next step?” are answered just as easily, drawing from both historical records and plant-specific knowledge.
The new chat capability in SAMI represents the next evolution of eschbach’s AI-powered capabilities within the Shiftconnector platform, building on the foundation of Smart Search and Smart Solutions. Smart Search allows users to quickly find relevant information across shift notes, maintenance records and other data sources using natural language queries—saving time and eliminating the frustration of traditional keyword-based search. Smart Solutions goes a step further, using machine learning to identify potential root causes of recurring issues and suggest proven remedies based on past actions. Now, with SAMI’s chat feature, these capabilities bring together in a conversational format using Generative AI (GenAI), allowing users to interact dynamically with their data. It’s a more intuitive, flexible and powerful way to access the information and institutional knowledge that drive smarter decisions and faster problem-solving.
What sets SAMI apart is its deep integration with the plant environment. Trained on industry- and site-specific data, SAMI understands the language, workflows and context of process manufacturing, making it especially powerful for industries like chemical and pharmaceutical production, where accuracy, traceability and speed are essential.
This new chat capability reflects eschbach’s alignment with the principles of Industry 5.0: bringing people and technology together to create smarter, safer and more human-centric process manufacturing environments.
“At eschbach, we believe Industry 5.0 is about more than just technology—it's about people. We are moving towards manufacturing with technology built around human needs and focused on enhancing human capabilities. With SAMI, we're not just creating a tool; we're giving our customers’ workforce a powerful assistant that saves time, preserves institutional knowledge and drives continuous improvement. This isn't just the future of manufacturing; it's the future of empowering human potential,” said Andreas Eschbach, CEO of eschbach.
SAMI represents an exciting step forward in the application of AI in process manufacturing, serving as a trusted companion, not a replacement, for manufacturing teams. By streamlining access to relevant data and reducing the burden of manual tasks, SAMI empowers workers, enhances decision-making and contributes to a more efficient, informed and engaged workforce.