Any ERPUse Case

Shop floor + on-prem AI

AI shop floor assistant for operators working inside your ERP

Short answer

An AI shop floor assistant lets an operator ask a plain-language question, what is the next operation on this traveler, where is the current revision of this work instruction, and get an answer grounded in your ERP's live routing, BOM, and document data, without navigating ERP transaction screens built for planners, not operators. It runs on-prem, respects your ERP's existing role and plant permissions, and shows the record it pulled the answer from.

ERP: Infor SyteLine, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle EBS
Industries: Manufacturing, Aerospace, Defense, Electronics
Written for: Plant Manager

Discuss your Infor SyteLine environment See use cases

Most ERP shop floor screens were designed for a planner or a scheduler, not for an operator standing at a machine with gloves on and a work order in hand. Finding the current revision of a work instruction, confirming the next operation on a traveler, or checking whether a specific component has an open engineering change against it means navigating menus and transaction codes that were never built for someone who needs an answer in ten seconds, not two minutes. On many shop floors, the practical result is that operators rely on printed travelers that go stale the moment a revision changes, or they interrupt a supervisor to look something up in the ERP for them.

This is not a training problem that goes away with a better onboarding class. ERP screens for routing, BOM, and document management are dense because they serve planners who need to see and edit a lot of structured data at once. An operator's actual question is almost always narrower: what do I do next, what revision am I supposed to be building to, is there an open quality hold on this part. Answering that narrow question inside a wide-scope transaction screen is friction every single time, multiplied across every operator, every shift, every day.

An AI shop floor assistant sits between the operator and the ERP, answering plain-language questions by querying the same routing, BOM, work instruction, and document data the ERP already holds, then returning a direct answer instead of a screen to navigate. Ask what is the next op on job 48213 and it reads the routing and current operation status and answers directly, with the traveler record shown if the operator wants to see it. Ask where is the current work instruction for this part number and it retrieves the current-revision document, not a stale printed copy, respecting the same document control and revision rules your ERP already enforces.

For a plant manager, the value is not a novelty voice interface, it is fewer interruptions to supervisors for lookups a system should answer directly, fewer operators working from an outdated printed traveler because pulling up the current one in the ERP was too much friction, and a faster path from question to answer on the floor. Because it runs on-prem and reads through the ERP's existing permission model, an operator only ever sees what their ERP role already allows them to see, the assistant adds a faster interface, not a new access path.

What usually gets in the way

The problems we hear most from plant manager teams running Infor SyteLine.

ERP screens are built for planners, not operators at a machine

Routing, BOM, and document transaction screens require navigation and context an operator standing at a workstation does not have time for, and often does not have training on.

Printed travelers and work instructions go stale

Once a revision changes in the ERP, a printed copy on the shop floor is out of date until someone notices and reprints it, creating a real risk of building to the wrong revision.

Supervisors absorb constant lookup interruptions

Operators route simple questions, what's next, where's the current drawing, to a supervisor because pulling it up themselves in the ERP is too slow or outside their comfort zone.

New and cross-trained operators take longer to become self-sufficient

Without an easy way to look things up themselves, new operators lean more heavily on tribal knowledge and supervisor availability during ramp-up.

MES and ERP data live in separate systems operators have to mentally reconcile

Work instructions might live in a document management system, routing in the ERP, and real-time status in an MES, and an operator has no single place to ask a question that spans all three.

Where AI earns its place in Infor SyteLine

Each use case names the ERP objects it reads or writes, so your ERP team can judge the integration effort before anyone commits budget.

Next-operation and routing lookup

Answer plain-language questions about the current status and next step on a work order's routing, reading live operation status from the ERP.

Touches: Job routing/operation records, work order status (SyteLine job routing, SAP PP operation confirmations)

Outcome: Operators get the next-step answer in seconds instead of navigating a routing screen or asking a supervisor

Current-revision work instruction retrieval

Retrieve the current-revision work instruction, drawing, or specification for a part number, respecting document control and revision status in the ERP or PLM system.

Touches: Document management/PLM revision records, engineering document links

Outcome: Reduces the risk of building to a superseded revision from a stale printed copy

Open quality hold and NCR check

Check whether a part, lot, or job has an open quality hold, NCR, or engineering change before the operator proceeds, surfacing the relevant record.

Touches: Quality hold records, NCR/CAPA records, ECN status

Outcome: Catches a hold or open change before the operator builds against it, rather than discovering it downstream

Material and component location lookup

Answer where a specific component or kit is staged, or whether a required component has been issued to the job, using inventory and issue transaction data.

Touches: Inventory location records, job material issue transactions

Outcome: Cuts time spent searching for staged material or confirming issue status manually

Standard time and setup instruction lookup

Retrieve standard setup time, tooling requirements, and setup instructions for an operation, especially useful for operators cross-training onto a new machine or process.

Touches: Routing standard time fields, tooling/fixture records

Outcome: Supports faster ramp-up for cross-trained or new operators without pulling a supervisor away

Downtime and issue reporting

Let an operator log a downtime reason, quality issue, or material shortage through a plain-language interface that writes a structured record back to the ERP or MES.

Touches: Downtime reason codes, MES event records

Outcome: Improves reporting completeness because logging an issue is faster than navigating a data entry screen

Shift handoff summary

Generate a summary of open jobs, flagged issues, and status changes from the current shift for the next shift's supervisor, pulled from the ERP/MES record.

Touches: Job status history, shift event log

Outcome: Reduces reliance on informal verbal handoffs that can drop details between shifts

Reference architecture

The assistant is a query and retrieval layer over your existing ERP and MES data, not a new system of record. Every answer traces back to a specific ERP or document record, and write-back is limited to structured event logging within the operator's existing permissions.

1
ERP/MES connectors
Read routing, work order status, BOM, inventory, and quality hold data from the ERP (SyteLine, SAP, Oracle EBS) and, where present, real-time status from the MES.
2
Document and data layer
Work instructions, drawings, and specifications are indexed with their current revision status from the document management or PLM system, so retrieval always returns the current, not a cached, revision.
3
Model serving
A language model interprets the operator's plain-language question and maps it to the right ERP/MES query, running on-prem or on a plant-local server for low-latency shop floor response.
4
Interface layer
Deployed on shop floor terminals, tablets, or kiosks with a simple conversational interface, sized for a glove-friendly touch target and large text, not a dense ERP transaction screen.
5
Governance and audit
Every answer is scoped to the operator's existing ERP role and plant assignment; downtime or issue logging writes structured, attributed records, preserving the same accountability as manual data entry.

Integration notes for your ERP team

Infor SyteLine/CloudSuite Industrial: reads job routing, operation status, and material issue data via the SyteLine IDO layer; work instruction links resolve through SyteLine's document attachment fields.
SAP S/4HANA: reads production order and operation confirmation data via OData/CDS views; integrates with SAP document management (DMS) for current-revision work instruction retrieval.
Oracle EBS: reads WIP job and operation data through standard EBS APIs; quality hold status pulled from EBS Quality module records.
MES integration (where present): reads real-time operation status and downtime events from the MES rather than duplicating that data entry, avoiding a second system of record.
PLM integration (Teamcenter, Windchill, or ERP-native document management): revision status is always resolved live against the PLM/DMS system, not cached, so a superseded drawing is never served as current.
Deployed on existing shop floor hardware, tablets, terminals, kiosks, without requiring new dedicated devices, though a plant-local inference server is typically needed for acceptable response latency.

Deployment options

Air-gapped on-prem

Defense and aerospace plants where shop floor terminals cannot reach the internet and work instruction content may include export-controlled detail

Model inference and ERP/MES connectors run on a plant-local server, with shop floor terminals accessing the assistant over the internal plant network only.

Private or sovereign cloud

Multi-plant manufacturers who want centralized management of the assistant across sites without exposing shop floor data to a public AI service

Deployed in a private cloud tenant with site-to-site connectivity to each plant's ERP/MES, giving central IT one place to manage and update the assistant.

Hybrid

Manufacturers piloting the assistant on one production line or cell before plant-wide rollout

Start with a single line or work center, validate answer accuracy against the operators actually using it, then extend to the rest of the plant.

Compliance and data control

How the architecture supports your obligations. Certification and accountability stay with your organisation; the design keeps the evidence straightforward.

Document control (ISO 9001 / AS9100)

Work instruction retrieval always resolves to the current approved revision in the document control system, and the assistant never caches or serves a revision independently of that system's approval status.

Export control on technical data

For defense manufacturers, on-prem deployment keeps work instructions and drawings that may contain export-controlled technical data inside the plant's own network boundary.

Role-based access control

The assistant queries the ERP using the operator's existing role and permission set, so it never surfaces data, cost information, other work centers' jobs, the operator's ERP login would not already allow.

Traceability for shop floor events

Downtime, quality, and issue logs created through the assistant are attributed to the logged-in operator and timestamped identically to manual ERP/MES entry, preserving the existing traceability chain.

Where Netray fits

ERPray

The shop floor assistant is effectively ERPray's natural-language query capability delivered through a plant-floor interface, grounded in the same routing, BOM, and status data.

Custom build

The interface layer, kiosk or tablet design, downtime logging workflow, MES integration specifics, is typically tailored to the plant's existing shop floor hardware and processes.

How an engagement runs

Phase 1 . 2-3 weeks

Discovery

-Inventory of common operator questions and current lookup methods
-Review of ERP/MES routing, BOM, and document control data structure
-Shop floor hardware and network assessment for latency requirements
-GPU/server sizing for plant-local inference

Phase 2 . 6-8 weeks

Pilot

-Assistant deployed on one line or work center
-Answer accuracy validated against operator questions with supervisor review
-Downtime/issue logging workflow tested against MES event structure
-Go/no-go criteria agreed with plant management

Phase 3 . 4-6 weeks

Production

-Rollout to the full plant with role-based access confirmed for each operator group
-Operator training on the assistant interface
-Supervisor dashboard for logged issues and usage

Phase 4 . Ongoing

Scale

-Extend to additional plants with plant-specific ERP/MES connections
-Expand use cases based on operator feedback
-Periodic accuracy review against actual shop floor questions

Questions to ask any vendor, including us

A short list that separates real Infor SyteLine AI work from a chatbot demo.

Does the assistant respect our ERP's existing role-based access, or could an operator see data outside their normal permissions?
How does the assistant guarantee it retrieves the current document revision and not a stale cached copy?
What is the response latency on the actual shop floor network, not a demo environment?
Can operators write data back, downtime, issues, and how is that attributed and audited?
Does this require new hardware, or can it run on our existing shop floor tablets and terminals?
How does the system handle a question it cannot confidently answer, does it guess or say so?
Can we pilot on one line before committing to plant-wide deployment?
How is the assistant kept in sync as routings, BOMs, and work instructions change in the ERP?

Frequently asked questions

Can operators see data they would not normally have access to in the ERP?

No. The assistant queries the ERP using the operator's existing login and role, so it only surfaces data that role would already be permitted to see through a normal ERP screen. It changes the interface, not the access model.

How does it avoid giving an operator an outdated work instruction?

Work instruction and drawing retrieval resolves against the document control or PLM system's current-revision status at query time, not a cached copy, so the assistant always points to whatever revision is currently approved in your system of record.

Does this replace our MES?

No. It reads from the ERP and MES as a query and interface layer; it does not replace real-time production tracking, machine monitoring, or the MES's own transaction recording. It gives operators a faster way to ask questions of data that already lives in those systems.

What hardware does this need on the shop floor?

It typically runs on existing shop floor tablets, terminals, or kiosks. For acceptable response latency, a plant-local inference server is usually needed rather than routing every query to a distant data center, which also keeps data on the plant network.

Can this work in a plant with limited or no internet connectivity?

Yes, deployed air-gapped with a plant-local server, the assistant and its ERP/MES connectors run entirely on the internal plant network with no dependency on internet connectivity for normal operation.

How does it handle a question outside its scope?

The assistant is scoped to answer from ERP, MES, and document data it can verify. When a question falls outside that data or it cannot find a confident answer, it says so rather than guessing, and routes the operator to a supervisor as today.

How long does a shop floor assistant pilot take?

A pilot on one line or work center typically runs 6 to 8 weeks after a 2 to 3 week discovery phase, enough to validate answer accuracy against real operator questions and measure the reduction in supervisor lookup interruptions.

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