Schneider Electric, a leader in energy management and automation, introduces its industrial copilot, developed in collaboration with Microsoft. Designed to boost productivity and enhance workforce efficiency it integrates Microsoft Azure AI Foundry with Schneider Electric’s advanced and secure industrial automation solutions. Eliminating repetitive tasks, this Generative AI-powered assistant allows users to collaborate, supports simplification of application development delivering efficiency gains and bringing quality solutions to market faster. 

Industrial copilots are increasingly adopted to address labor shortages and enhance complex operations. They empower workers by reducing mental strain, providing support, and retaining knowledge despite high turnover. By automating routine tasks, copilots boost productivity and allow workers to focus on complex activities. They improve efficiency with real-time recommendations, leading to smoother operations and quicker decisions. Copilots also minimize machine downtime with immediate troubleshooting and predictive maintenance, integrate data for better decision-making, and reduce manual work, saving costs. 

“We are at a pivotal moment where industry must achieve unprecedented levels of flexibility and efficiency with Generative AI. Our Copilot, developed in collaboration with Microsoft and leveraging our deep domain expertise, is designed to improve industrial competitiveness by boosting worker confidence, simplifying processes, and bridging skills gaps,” said Aurelien LeSant, Chief Technology Officer, Schneider Electric, Industrial Automation. “This innovative solution proactively assists engineers in adding complex functionalities, such as new production lines, with simple steps by pre-generating code, checking for errors, and improving the reuse of existing libraries. It allows engineers and operators to leverage Schneider Electric’s industrial Data Sets to bring systems online faster and optimize them for long-term success.”

Building on Schneider Electric’s leadership in open, software-defined automation and leveraging the flexibility of EcoStruxure Automation Expert, the world’s first open software, defined automation solution, the Copilot will be available within Schneider’s newly launched unified automation environment, EcoStruxure Automation Expert Platform. The EcoStruxure Automation Expert Platform integrates seamlessly across various hardware and software platforms, enhancing collaboration between copilots, operators, and engineers by incorporating real-time data access, which is crucial for providing accurate recommendations, predictive maintenance, and immediate troubleshooting. 

Schneider is working on industrial AI applications that deliver next-generation industrial manufacturing systems. These systems work alongside advanced robotics, edge technologies and open, software-defined automation to tackle emerging customer pain points, including: 

• Opening in a V.U.C.A. (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world: tariffs, global trade wars regulation, supply chain issues.
• Aging workforce, limited productivity growth, and the transition to sustainable operations.
• Manufacturers need help with their data problem as a foundation of technology opportunities.​
• Cybersecurity as ‘threat and detect’ is no longer enough, and predictive security is the future.
• Segment-specific challenges  such as food dyes ban in the US, Virgin plastic bans in packaging in Germany and elsewhere.