In a complex and rapidly evolving manufacturing environment, planning production efficiently across machines, operators, and changing priorities can be a challenge. For Pannon Business Network (PBN) in Hungary, the opportunity to explore advanced AI-based planning technologies came through a collaborative initiative under AI-MATTERS.
Together with Brainport Industries (BI), supported by their technology partner Cboost, PBN is conducting a knowledge-exchange activity to explore the AI Factory Planner solution, not as a commercial deployment, but as a strategic learning collaboration.
The Challenge
Manufacturing SMEs in Hungary, like many across Europe, face the daily complexity of coordinating production across various machines, job types, and operator skill levels. This often requires manual replanning under uncertainty, leading to inefficiencies and high workload.
PBN saw a clear opportunity to investigate how AI-driven planning technologies could help these SMEs streamline operations and increase resilience.
“We needed to understand whether a solution like the AI Factory Planner could be adapted to the Hungarian SME context and how it could be delivered locally,” explains the PBN project team.
The Collaboration
This joint activity between PBN and BI focuses on exploration and shared learning.. Under the framework of AI-MATTERS and AI REDGIO 5.0, the collaboration includes:
- PBN providing real-world production data from Hungarian SMEs
- BI and Cboost demonstrating the AI Factory Planner on this data
- Joint evaluation of feasibility, risks, and local applicability
The study confirmed that the problem is algorithmically solvable and that automation could offer significant efficiency gains. Multiple solution pathways, from mathematical optimization to reinforcement learning, are now being explored for prototyping.
Key Outcomes (So Far)
- Real-world feasibility confirmed
- High-quality data available for prototyping
- Strong case for a proof-of-technology phase
- Strengthened ties between AI-MATTERS, AI REDGIO 5.0, and Hungarian innovation stakeholders
“This initiative not only helps us assess the technology, it strengthens European cooperation and brings the AI-MATTERS ecosystem into new regions,” adds the BI coordination team.
Looking Ahead
The next step is a proof-of-technology experiment, comparing AI-based planning against manual baselines using Hungarian SME data. The goal? To understand what’s needed to provide this type of AI service locally in Hungary, and explore how additional test facilities and European partners might contribute in the future.
Conclusion
This collaboration demonstrates how AI-MATTERS is helping partners learn, share, and co-develop solutions — beyond commercial goals. It supports the vision of a pan-European network of AI excellence, rooted in local relevance and cross-border collaboration.
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👉 Or do you have a (different) use case in which AI has the potential to solve your manufacturing problem? Contact one of our project managers.