Quantis.ai – Leading the Manufacturing Revolution with ‘Pocket Factory’ Platform, Paving the Way for a Future Defined by Innovation

Quantis.ai, a pioneering force in solving intricate manufacturing challenges through the fusion of data and AI technology, is fervently dedicated to providing manufacturers with transformative insights. Leveraging state-of-the-art technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT), Quantis is at the forefront of transforming the manufacturing landscape.

At the heart of Quantis lies a dynamic and diverse team comprised of seasoned manufacturing engineers, data scientists, and technologists. With decades of collective experience, the company has consistently delivered innovative technological and analytic solutions, leaving an indelible mark on the manufacturing sector across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

In an exclusive interview with CIO Bulletin, Cate Gutowski, CEO of Quantis.ai, shed light on how her company is empowering clients with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in the evolving landscape of modern manufacturing.

Interview Highlights

Q. Can you provide a brief overview of how Quantis was founded and the inspiration behind its inception?

Quantis was founded on our passion for innovation and empowerment at the edge. Our company purpose is to empower everyone, and we have set forth on a mission to empower one billion people at work by the year 2050. Our journey began in the Food & Beverage Industry, where we provide front-line operators with high-quality real-time data through our AI/ML-driven Pocket Factory software platform, to enable them to make more informed decisions in real-time.

Customers across 20+ countries consistently choose to renew their Pocket Factory software licenses with us year after year. This loyalty is attributed to our ability to deliver tangible results on their most critical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), resulting in measurable savings visible on the CFO's balance sheet. COOs continue to select Quantis due to our proficiency in early detection of operational issues and a typical 3-5% improvement in reduced downtime through our predictive maintenance solutions.

Recent endorsements from CIOs stem from our impressive ability to collect data from various machines in their operations with remarkable accuracy. This establishes a new, reliable set of high-quality data infrastructure that operators can genuinely rely on for the first time in their history. Chief Sustainability Officers also choose to renew with us, relying on our data and insights to identify innovative ways to reduce water and energy usage in pursuit of their sustainability goals, which are becoming increasingly challenging to attain.

Our journey to empower everyone commenced seven years ago when we delved into Gallup's global study on workplace engagement. In 2023, Gallup reported a staggering 77% of the global workforce being disengaged at work. This means that only 23% are actively engaged at work! While this statistic is concerning, it fuels our optimism for the future, as we believe we can make a real difference by contributing to a positive turnaround as we see more and more CIOs and COO’s working together and choosing to invest in technology solutions that can empower their teams in real-time.

In my conversations with CEOs of manufacturing companies, a common desire emerges to empower their front lines. However, as this vision descends into the organizational hierarchy, it often falters. Many food & beverage manufacturers lack the necessary data, tools, technology, or culture to translate this vision of empowering the front lines into reality. This is where Quantis.ai steps in with patent-pending solutions designed to empower every manufacturer's operational teams in real-time. These solutions extend beyond technology, encompassing tested approaches that harmonize people, technology, process, and culture – and this is precisely what makes Quantis.ai different when compared to other traditional suppliers of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) systems or other B2B SaaS firms.

Q. Could you describe the key products or services that Quantis offers in the market? How do these products or services stand out from competitors in terms of innovation and value?

As a provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) infrastructure and AI software solutions to manufacturers, Quantis leverages decades of experience to support its Food & Beverage manufacturing customers. Renowned for building innovative technology solutions, Quantis collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders because our solutions touch multiple parts of every organization. We work with everyone from the CEO to the COO, as well as the CFO, CIO, CTO, CDO, Chief Sustainability Officers, Digital Transformation Leaders, Digitization Leaders, Quality Leaders, Plant Managers, Production Managers, and Maintenance Managers.

We often get calls from customers who are manufacturers who have a mandate from their leadership to digitally transform, or they have ambitions to become a smart factory, and they know that Quantis has a reputation for being able to execute and deliver solutions within 30 days or less. However, most of our customers today come from word of mouth, because we have built a strong reputation for our ability to collect data off of any machine – regardless of the age, type, brand or model. We are able to execute the impossible because we have a team of deep subject matter experts who are able to dive deep into the details across the intersections of IT, Data Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Production, and the top OEM suppliers in the Beverage Industry. We’ve grown via word of mouth because operators can not believe how accurate our data is, and this has been a critical component to our growth in these industries. Our manufacturing customers in the Beverage industry know that they can count on us to reduce their operating and maintenance costs – while also improving the uptime of filling, bottling, and packaging lines in 30 days or less.

Quantis stands out for its expertise in providing innnovative and high quality solutions that are relevant to empowering front line operators to make decisions in real-time, Customers trust us to help them improve their most critical KPIs around quality, safety, production efficiency and operating costs through our portolio of solutions, including: predictive maintenance, line monitoring, sustainability, maintenance management, quality management, data quality infrastructure, data science analytics, data infrastructure monitoring, and data validation. More recently, we’ve launched a new suite of products that modernize the traditional Site-Acceptance Tests and Factory Acceptance Tests by focusing on the software associated with each machine. Today, we are able to empower Plant Managers by providing them with the required data to confirm whether each machine meets their specifications for data quality and the availability – before they take ownership. This data is a critical enabler for manufacturers, enabling them to confirm that they are actually getting what they paid for.

Q. Can you provide examples of how ML/AI applications have led to improvements in operational efficiency or quality within the beverage-manufacturing sector?

Quantis.ai has successfully implemented AI/ML solutions, resulting in a remarkable 40% reduction in unplanned downtimes across various plants in the beverage industry. This achievement is attributed to the proactive detection of deviations across a diverse range of measured and tracked data inputs.

One particularly notable application highlights the practical impact of our solutions. In the Food & Beverage industry, COOs, Plant Managers, and Maintenance Managers frequently face challenges with the regular purchase of expensive spare parts from OEMs to maintain critical equipment. In collaboration with a determined Maintenance Manager, Quantis.ai addressed this issue by proposing a hypothesis: the need for these parts could be significantly reduced. The challenge was to prove it.

Together, we developed a solution focused on recording and monitoring filling valves. Through meticulous data collection and continuous monitoring of deviations, we successfully demonstrated that the operating hours of spare parts in OEM machines could be doubled over the specified service life. Simultaneously, we minimized costly machine failures by promptly notifying Maintenance teams of recorded data deviations, allowing them to take real-time action. This success story served as the foundation for the development of the Operating Hours Explorer by Quantis.ai.

Q. How does Quantis envision the role of data, analytics, and IoT evolving in the manufacturing sector, and how is the company positioned to adapt to these changes?

Data is often hailed as the new oil, yet its potential in manufacturing remains largely untapped and undervalued. CIOs are awakening to the realization that they need to invest in building out their plant data infrastructure, because when operators have access to high-quality, accurate, and real-time data from from their operations they can profoundly transform a company's ability to boost revenue and EBITDA.

A recent experience at a trade show in Germany uncovered a surprising trend: many OEMs, regardless of size, have their own software platforms. Conversations with frustrated CIOs highlighted the limitations of these platforms, even when provided for free, as they often focus solely on individual machines. Drawing on my experience as a COO in the Beverage industry, I can affirm that challenges on the shop floor rarely emerge one machine at a time; rather, they result from complex interactions during production processes, involving various factors.

Multiple CIOs and COOs express a desire for a unified solution for their teams. This is where Quantis stands out. At Quantis, we hire deep subject matter experts and empower them to excel. In a recent collaboration with a food customer operating thirty different machine types on a single line, their enthusiasm for partnering with us was evident. Our IIoT software platform, Pocket Factory, eliminates their need to check thirty different software systems that only provide data on their individual equipment. They couldn’t believe that by using Pocket Factory, they could actually get one single unified look across all their machines in real time.

This conviction drives our belief that Pocket Factory is the future of manufacturing. I am excited about our future as I witness Pocket Factory evolving into a crucial infrastructure for every manufacturer, that operates and lives above the cloud. I am convinced that Pocket Factory will one day become the single pane of glass for every COO, and every Plant Manager. Today our customers can monitor up to 5,000 key performance indicators (KPIs), and deliver essential financial metrics. Being a part of this transformation that focuses on empowering everyone to do the best work of their lives is incredibly rewarding for me.

Q. Is there anything else you want us to highlight that we might have missed?

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is the ability to build a purpose-driven company. This purpose is not only relevant to our existing associates but also resonates with our customers. It has been a true privilege to collaborate with CEOs and Chief Human Resources Officers (CHRO) at manufacturing companies who express deep concern about All-Employee Survey data that confirms their teams do not feel engaged or empowered. They are actively seeking out new and creative ways to empower their teams, and they have been eager to partner with us to embark on an Empowerment Journey for their company, starting on the shop floor.

Finding real meaning in your work is a genuine privilege. At Quantis, I'm excited because, as we continue to grow, we will continue to empower more and more front-line associates – and its humbling to learn how when they feel empowered at work, they come home feeling fulfilled. And when they feel fulfilled, they feel happier. This gives me great hope for the future, especially when I learned that when they feel happier about their day at work, they come home… and then treat their spouses and children better than ever before. Now, if that doesn't give you a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, I'm not sure what else will!

About | Cate Gutowski

Cate Gutowski assumed the role of CEO at Quantis.ai in August 2023. Prior to her role as the Chief Operating Officer of the publicly traded $2.2B beverage company Primo Water, she led the Worldwide Sales Enablement function at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She played a crucial role in AWS’s growth from $17B to $57B, leveraging her expertise in sales leadership and product management to contribute to the development of new AI and Machine Learning tools, enabling the rapid global expansion of AWS as the market leader in cloud technology.

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Cate also holds an Executive MBA from the University of South Florida and is based in Tampa, Florida. She lives with her husband of 20+ years, their two children, Hannah and Matthew, and their black Labrador, Abby.

“Quantis was founded on our passion for innovation and empowerment at the edge. Our company purpose is to empower everyone, and we have set forth on a mission to empower one billion people at work by the year 2050.”