As President of Europe & LatAm at IFS, I have the privilege of meeting extraordinary customers, partners, and colleagues across our region.
Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several IFS Connect events in Europe, each one a testament to the innovation, ambition, and momentum shaping the industries we serve. What struck me most wasn’t just the scale or polish of the events, it was the depth of the conversations and the genuine eagerness from our customers to explore what’s possible when enterprise software is aligned to business strategy.
This year’s unifying theme, “Industrial AI: Your Catalyst for High Performance”, was not just a headline, but a thread woven through every keynote, breakout, and conversation. It captured a shift we are seeing right across Europe, from AI curiosity to AI action.
The Message Is Clear: AI Is Real, Measurable, and Here to Stay
IFS Connect 2025 was built around a powerful core message, Industrial AI is no longer a vague promise of the future, it is embedded directly into our enterprise solutions, driving measurable outcomes today. Whether it’s predictive maintenance, automated field service scheduling, or strategic asset investment planning, the focus has decisively moved from theory to practice.
Our CEO Mark Moffat summed it up succinctly, “The next decade will belong to the companies that operationalize AI fastest.” With over 60 production-ready AI use cases, a purpose-built IFS Value Studio to assess ROI, and the launch of IFS Nexus Black, a co-creation engine for high-impact AI, we are empowering our customers to move decisively and lead in their sectors.
What Customers Are Telling Us
Executives and technology leaders attending IFS Connect voiced a clear theme, AI fatigue is real, but so is AI urgency. The era of chasing disconnected pilots is behind us. What’s needed now are domain-specific, fully embedded AI capabilities that deliver real business outcomes.
In countless conversations, leaders expressed appreciation for IFS’s focus on AI that fits the business. As one attendee said, “We’ve been pitched every type of AI. What stands out with IFS is that it’s been designed for how we actually work.”
This came to life in success stories with one of our UK customers using IFS Planning & Scheduling Optimization to automatically schedule 83.5% of service calls, improving SLA adherence by 21%, and delivering a 4.36× ROI within two years.
Feedback from the Floor
At every IFS Connect event, I asked attendees, “What’s keeping you up at night?” Their answers revealed the evolving challenges industrial companies are tackling, and how they are thinking about resilience, digital transformation, and AI-driven innovation in the years ahead.
Pragmatic AI Is Winning Over Flashy AI
One leader put it bluntly, “We are done experimenting. What we want now is return on intelligence, not just artificial intelligence.” Executives want embedded AI integrated into their cloud ERP and EAM platforms, not superficial copilots on the side.
Workforce Enablement Is a Rising Priority
In manufacturing and utilities, the need to accelerate shop floor skills development is pressing. One participant noted, “Our people don’t need dashboards, they need knowledge. What we saw at Connect was technology that empowers workers, not overwhelms them.” Connected worker platforms like IFS Connected Worker powered by IFS Poka are gaining momentum.
Sustainability Is Shifting from Aspiration to Execution
Many organizations shared how their sustainability initiatives are becoming deeply data-driven. One executive told us, “We can now monitor the energy impact of every industrial operation. That insight gives us a real lever to hit our ESG targets.” IFS’s integration of sustainability management into its ERP suite is delivering immediate value.
ERP Is No Longer Just a System, It’s a Strategic Platform
A common theme was the evolution of ERP systems from back-office engines to strategic enablers. As one attendee shared, “We needed a system that could handle our complexity, multiple sites, evolving compliance, and different business models. What we found was a way to unify operations and drive transformation.”
Building a Foundation for Tomorrow, Not Just Today
Several customers emphasized their desire to future-proof their operations. “We weren’t just looking for software, we needed a foundation to scale and adapt. The roadmap we saw gives us the confidence to grow and adopt new technologies, including AI, on our terms.”
Trust and Partnership Are Key
Across regions, one consistent message stood out, the value of partnership. “We don’t feel like a number. There’s a real sense of collaboration with IFS, and that matters more than ever.”
A European Movement
What stood out to me across the IFS Connect events was the shared desire for practical, outcome-focused innovation. European businesses are pragmatic. They want to move fast, but they also want control. They seek transformation, but they demand measurable value.
This is where IFS stands apart. We offer not just technology, but strategic partnership. Not just AI, but Industrial AI. Not just software, but a scalable roadmap for digital transformation, backed by real use cases, customer success stories, and a relentless focus on results.
Recent moves further strengthen that position. The launch of our IFS Accelerator for SAP is helping organizations fast-track their migration to IFS Cloud, reducing time to value while minimizing disruption. And with the acquisition of TheLoops, IFS is extending its leadership in Industrial AI by introducing AI agents designed for mission-critical operations. These intelligent digital teammates are poised to enhance operational efficiency and decision-making across industries.
With Industrial AI at the core, and strategic investments like these driving continuous innovation, IFS is not just responding to change, we are helping our customers shape it.
