Looking Back Together, Moving Forward with Purpose

This year brought several developments that shaped our work and our direction as a company. We joined Accenture’s Industry X practice, continued to convene and contribute to key industry events, and advanced a number of important customer projects. We are excited to showcase one of these at the AND's 23rd Innovation Forum for Automation. The acquisition and these shared industry forums created space for enhanced collaboration, stronger capabilities, and more practical conversations about how to deliver on what manufacturers need from their systems today.

Across the semiconductor industry, we also saw a measured slowdown. Some fabs postponed planned initiatives, moderated automation investments, or reduced production volume in response to demand shifts. While these decisions naturally influence project timelines, they also underscore a consistent reality: even in periods of restraint, the work of improving flow, stabilizing operations, and making better use of existing systems remains essential.

More than ever, our focus is on finding practical ways to optimize production within whatever constraints exist. Whether the challenge is deferred capital spending, limited labor capacity, or technology transitions that must be sequenced carefully, our role is to help ensure manufacturers continue to gain incremental efficiency, clarity, and control even when market conditions favor caution.

Strengthening How We Support Manufacturing

Joining Accenture’s Industry X practice was an important step that expands the support we can provide to manufacturers working through complex production and automation challenges. Many organizations continue to balance new technologies with established equipment, evolving IT and OT architectures, and rising expectations for throughput, quality, and dependable operations. Accenture’s global capabilities in engineering, data, AI and supply chain allow us to broaden the scope of what we can deliver while maintaining the focus on intelligent manufacturing operations that has defined our work.

Our expertise in SAP Manufacturing, Critical Manufacturing MES and factory automation aligns with Accenture’s wider digital manufacturing portfolio. Together, we are in a stronger position to help manufacturers modernize existing systems, extend the value of current MES investments, and build stable pathways for automation across both modern and long-standing environments.

What remains consistent is how we work with you. The teams, roles and relationships stay in place. Existing projects move forward as planned. Our approach continues to center on practical, measurable improvements that support long-term operational goals.

What expands is the range of problems we can help solve. With access to a wider set of resources and global expertise, we can take on broader modernization efforts, support more complex integration landscapes, and help organizations scale with greater confidence.

As we look ahead, our focus stays on supporting reliable, sustainable progress in manufacturing operations, backed by a larger network of experience and capability.

Refining Our Manufacturing Insights

This past year our team participated in three major industry gatherings that centered on process design, automation, and analytics. These events allow us to share concrete examples, learn from peers, and bring operational realities into open discussion.

SAP Manufacturing Innovation Day

At SAP Manufacturing Innovation Day 2025 we shared perspectives on integrated process management within the SAP Digital Manufacturing suite. Sessions highlighted how methodologies, tools such as Signavio and Tricentis, and programming approaches with the Production Process Designer can work together to support performance-oriented manufacturing environments. The focus was on aligning process design with the tools and execution models that make digital manufacturing more effective in practice.

Factory Automation User Group (FAUG)

Our 2025 Factory Automation User Group addressed the current state of semiconductor manufacturing, including fab intelligence, production optimization, logistics, and equipment handling. We introduced our Tool Connection Suite, discussed how AI can support scheduling, and examined how recipe management and integration with long-running systems are becoming central to value creation. These discussions were based in examples that included real-world application rather than abstract concepts.

Innovation Forum for Automation

At the Innovation Forum for Automation, organized by Automation Network Dresden (AND), we joined a broader conversation about the next phase of manufacturing. Topics included:

• AI use cases in semiconductor production
• Strategies for fully automated 300 mm fabs
• Legacy system management
• Cybersecurity in manufacturing
• MES consolidation

The variety of discussions reflected the reality that progress depends on aligning engineering, automation and data capabilities across the full landscape of a factory.

Progress Built on Trust

As we close the year, we want to express our appreciation for the trust you place in our team. The progress we make is possible because of the people we work alongside every day, from colleagues who bring steady commitment, to customers and partners who share their goals and challenges with openness. We look forward to continuing that work together and wish you a productive and rewarding year ahead.