IFS Connect: Why does a modern organization need to be competitive?

This year's edition of #IFSConnect truly blew me away – even more than last year's (which I covered in detail in [an article available here - link to be inserted]). What really surprised me was the sheer number of new participants ready to dive into the discourse about the state of Polish enterprises.

For the past week, I've been running on an adrenaline high, a feeling I haven't experienced since tech events 15-20 years ago... But now that the initial excitement has somewhat settled, I've decided to sketch out a brief summary of this year's IFS Connect. Ready? Let's dive in!

IFS at the forefront of ERP providers (again!)

It's such a great feeling to see a system I worked on as a young programmer still thriving and dictating terms to other ERP systems on the market. Of course, having IFS isn't a mandatory requirement for every manufacturing company, but its cohesion and scalability allow for efficient implementation of changes in processes and IT architecture itself, without having to build things from scratch.

Observing implementations and improvements in manufacturing environments, I've seen how dynamically the IFS ecosystem is developing and how many new solutions it offers to companies seeking flexibility and operational advantage. I particularly focused on the seemingly endless list of functionalities that further enrich IFS's already broad offering. Among them:

• Extensive configuration capabilities,
• The Camunda process management engine (BPMS), now fully integrated with the IFS application,
• The layered architecture of IFS Cloud, enabling system modifications by both IFS partners and their clients.

Like any technology, IFS sometimes needs the hand of a skilled solutions architect to unlock its full potential for a company. With years of experience, I can confidently say that subsequent software versions are slowly but surely providing answers to customer demands – whether it's customization options or core functionalities. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the continued development of this technology!

What's up with AI?

In my previous post, I mentioned that Artificial Intelligence was omnipresent at this conference; it felt like it was everywhere – I half-expected it to be serving me coffee! To delve even deeper into the topic, on Monday evening, we organized a meeting with leaders/experts where AI and ML were the main focus. Together with @Magdalena Foltyn, we moderated a discussion about "where, what for, and why." We dissected AI with representatives from 6 manufacturing companies.

The conclusions fill me with cautious optimism and motivate further work in terms of:

• Defining the business objective: precisely identifying where exactly in the business process we want to use AI/ML. This ranges from a relatively common "email reader" to a production line leader supported by an AI/ML-driven toolset in their daily work, or even in planning and decision-making processes, where an optimizer based on a genetic algorithm or PSO would feel right at home.
• Preparing and defining the IT systems architecture to be ready for AI/ML adoption – e.g., connecting data sources, systems, and services using an integration platform.
• Ensuring access to "private access" AI/LLM engines and algorithms, because, beware, while using open, publicly available ones (e.g., ChatGPT) is okay, it can lead to uncontrolled data leaks.
• It's time to start thinking about an environment where we can create and control AI agents ourselves.

Let's remember, however, that AI is just a tool – and, contrary to popular belief, not as super new as it might seem. We can't expect to apply super-efficient algorithms that act as a quick fix for every dysfunctional process in a company. Quite the opposite – when we accelerate these processes without proper foundations, we risk a chaotic mess.

That's why we need to talk about AI and the role artificial intelligence plays in a given company. And we need to do it loudly and publicly, so this branch of digitalization can fulfill its role in enterprises 100%.

BiModal Scheduler – a classic challenge for polish enterprises

I decided that on our booth's TV, we'd showcase our latest brainchild: BiModal Scheduler. I knew how crucial this topic is for manufacturing companies. Honestly, I didn't expect such a positive reaction and so many engaging discussions. It definitely reinforced my belief that, like other processes, production scheduling is a highly individual matter for each enterprise. Of course, there are some standard fundamentals, but handing this process over to a "black box" called APS probably isn't the best idea.

This solution, based on the most advanced heuristic algorithms and the most beautiful schedule visualization in the world, captivated many visitors to the BiModal booth. Consequently, I know exactly what the #biModalPlanning team will be doing for the next 2 months: preparing POVs for furniture, profile, and chemical product manufacturers, and I'm also hoping for a visit to a few food & beverage companies.

May the PSO be with you!

Resilient ERP: how to implement ERP to be fully adaptable to a changing business environment?

And I almost forgot – I had the pleasure of presenting the concept and methods we use to implement IFS projects, supported by low-code platforms. As usual, the audience was great and actively participated in my 30-minute speech, which I'll tell you more about in an upcoming article.

IFS Connect 2025: conclusion

This is just a small slice of those two exceptionally intense days. One thing makes me happy – and from what I see, it also made me happy at last year's edition of the event: the growing awareness of the need for businesses to go through the digitalization process and gain knowledge about digital transformation. Thank you for the opportunity to participate!

If we didn't have a chance to meet at IFS Connect, or if we left any discussions open – don't hesitate to reach out! We can schedule a meeting right away.