Factory Floor Efficiency With Glean
In this blog
Agentic AI in manufacturing: Unlocking factory floor efficiency with Glean and WWT
Executive summary
The manufacturing industry is under immense pressure to drive efficiency, reduce downtime, and adapt to constant operational complexity. Agentic AI — a new generation of proactive, context-aware AI — offers manufacturers a transformative opportunity to elevate productivity, safety and decision-making on the factory floor. Glean, a leading agentic AI platform, brings this intelligence to life through enterprise-wide knowledge integration and autonomous decision support. Let's review the top five most popular and impactful use cases of manufacturing customers using Glean today.
Understanding Agentic AI
Agentic AI refers to intelligent systems that operate as autonomous agents. Unlike traditional AI, which is reactive, agentic AI can:
- Proactively anticipate user needs
- Understand context, role, and intent
- Execute tasks across systems
- Learn continuously from data and feedback
This approach aligns with manufacturing needs where frontline teams must make fast, informed decisions across silos, shifts and systems.
Reference: Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2020). *Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach*. Pearson.
The power of Glean's Agentic AI in manufacturing
Glean's AI agent connects with platforms such as ERP (e.g., SAP), MES, maintenance systems, document repositories and chat tools. It delivers role-specific knowledge in real time — improving decisions, safety and outcomes.
Key capabilities:
- Unified search and summarization across systems
- Secure, permission-aware results
- Natural language queries
- Autonomous task support and proactive alerts
Reference: Glean (2024). *Product Overview*. Retrieved from https://www.glean.com
Use Case 1: Troubleshooting & downtime reduction
Downtime is costly. Glean minimizes MTTR by:
- Recommending fixes based on similar past faults
- Pulling logs, SOPs, and playbooks from connected systems
Impact: Reduces downtime by 30–40%
Reference: McKinsey & Company (2023). *Digital Manufacturing: The Rise of the Smart Factory*. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com
Use Case 2: SOP and technical knowledge access
Operators can ask questions in plain language and instantly retrieve:
- Updated SOPs
- Calibration procedures
- Maintenance steps
Impact: Reduces quality defects by 10–20%
Reference: Deloitte (2022). *Smart Manufacturing Ecosystems*. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com
Use Case 3: Smarter shift handover
Glean ensures seamless handover by:
- Automatically generating shift reports
- Summarizing unresolved issues and actions
Impact: Fewer repeat problems, improved communication across shifts.
Use Case 4: Real-time safety & compliance alerts
As OSHA or internal policies change, Glean:
- Pushes personalized updates to relevant staff
- Highlights affected procedures
Impact: Improves audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
Reference: OSHA (2024). *Workplace Safety Standards*. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov
Use Case 5: Supervisor decision support
Supervisors ask high-level queries:
- 'Which lines had 2+ defects this week?'
- 'Where are we behind on PMs?'
Glean cross-references MES, ERP and quality data to give a unified answer.
Impact: Better, faster decisions with no need to toggle across dashboards.
The ROI of Glean in Manufacturing
| Metric | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Downtime Reduction | ↓ 20–40% |
| Error Reduction | ↓ 10–20% |
| Faster Onboarding | ↓ 30% time to productivity |
| Higher Shift Productivity | ↑ via better continuity |
| Fewer Safety Incidents | ↓ through targeted alerts |
Why Agentic AI Works So Well in Manufacturing
| Feature | Why It Matters on the Floor |
|---|---|
| Proactive intelligence | Surfaces critical info before you ask |
| Role- and context-awareness | Gives the right answer for your role |
| System-wide integration | Connects data from ERP, MES, wikis |
| Permission-aware security | Enforces access control per user |
| Multilingual and mobile-ready | Works for diverse, global workforces |
Conclusion
Glean is redefining factory intelligence. By bridging the gap between information and action, agentic AI empowers manufacturing teams to operate more efficiently, safely and intelligently. From line operators to plant managers, the impact is tangible, and the future is already in motion.
Glean's power is not being an AI assistant; it's an operational ally.
Glean and WWT's partnership
Glean Technologies, Inc., founded in 2019 by Arvind Jain—a former distinguished engineer at Google and co-founder of Rubrik—is a Palo Alto-based company specializing in enterprise-grade artificial intelligence (AI) and search capabilities. The company has rapidly evolved, securing significant funding rounds and achieving a valuation of $4.6 billion as of September 2024.
Glean's platform, known as the Work AI platform, is designed to enhance workforce productivity by providing intelligent search and automation tools that connect seamlessly with various enterprise data sources. The platform leverages large language models, including OpenAI's GPT, to deliver personalized query responses based on internal company data.
In partnership with WWT, Glean aims to help businesses adopt AI-driven enterprise search solutions that enhance productivity, efficiency and decision-making at scale.
Through this partnership, organizations can leverage Glean's AI-powered platform to transform how they access and utilize enterprise knowledge, enabling intelligent search, personalized automation, and proactive knowledge discovery. WWT supports clients in integrating these solutions, providing strategic workshops, data management strategies, and AI enablement training to ensure successful AI adoption and maximize return on investment.
This collaboration underscores the growing importance of AI in enterprise environments, offering tools that streamline operations and empower employees with timely, relevant information to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge in a data-driven world.