Schneider Electric & Deloitte launch AI industrial tie-up

Schneider Electric and Deloitte have formed a collaboration focused on AI-enabled digital transformation in industrial operations, targeting customers in manufacturing, infrastructure and data centres.

The partnership combines Deloitte's consulting work in strategy, process and technology change with Schneider Electric's operational technology and industrial software. Its aim is to help organisations modernise operations across business functions and improve end-to-end processes.

The move comes as industrial companies face pressure to boost efficiency while controlling costs. Many still rely on older operating models and fragmented systems, particularly in asset-heavy sectors where artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and closer links between information technology and operational technology are changing how plants and facilities are run.

Under the arrangement, the companies will work with clients seeking to integrate IT and OT systems, replace siloed legacy environments and introduce more software-based automation. The work will also cover AI and advanced analytics in industrial settings, alongside change management to support adoption across organisations.

Industrial focus

The announcement targets a broad market rather than a single sector. Manufacturers are one focus, but the joint offering is also aimed at industrial operators, data centre groups and infrastructure organisations.

That reflects a wider industry trend as companies try to connect factory-floor operations, energy management, supply chains and business systems more closely. Many executives want to reduce downtime, improve visibility across sites and speed up investment decisions, but large transformation programmes often stall because operations, technology and management processes remain disconnected.

Schneider Electric has an established presence in industrial automation, energy management and software used in operational environments. Deloitte brings consulting and transformation expertise spanning strategy, operating models, workforce change and technology implementation. Together, they are positioning the collaboration around both technical integration and organisational change.

Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, said many companies lack a clear plan linking business goals with the digital and operational systems needed to support them.

"Organisations know they need to transform, but many lack a roadmap that unites business strategy with the right digital and OT foundation," Huet said.

"By combining our technology leadership with Deloitte's experience in driving operational excellence and enterprise-wide change, we are giving customers the tools they need to move forward with speed and confidence," she added.

Change programmes

For consulting firms and industrial technology suppliers alike, a recurring issue is that digital projects often produce uneven results when limited to a single plant, department or software deployment. Broader programmes typically require changes to workflows, governance and workforce practices as well as new systems.

Deloitte framed the collaboration in those terms, arguing that transformation goes beyond installing tools. Businesses need to rethink how they operate and compete, especially as AI becomes more embedded in industrial processes.

"True digital transformation is about far more than deploying new tools; it demands a reinvention of how an organisation competes and grows. Deloitte brings the reach and rigour to lead that change end-to-end, across every layer of the enterprise. Paired with Schneider Electric's OT expertise and AI-enabled industrial technology, this collaboration offers clients new ways to transform and provides the operational precision needed to make it real," said Ajai Vasudevan, Global Smart Operations Leader, Deloitte.

The emphasis on AI reflects growing interest among industrial groups in applying machine learning and advanced analytics to maintenance, production planning, quality control and energy use. Adoption, however, has often been slowed by older infrastructure, poor data flows and the difficulty of linking enterprise software with operational systems on the ground.

By centring the collaboration on IT and OT integration, the companies are addressing a long-standing gap in industrial digitisation. In many factories and large infrastructure operations, the systems that manage finance, procurement and planning remain separate from those that control equipment and monitor physical assets. That can limit visibility and reduce the value of analytics tools.

The work will also focus on helping clients build operations that are more adaptive and resilient. That language suggests an effort to appeal to organisations dealing with supply chain disruption, labour shortages, energy volatility and pressure to improve productivity without major increases in fixed costs.

The collaboration also highlights how consulting firms and industrial technology suppliers are forming closer alliances as customers demand more complete transformation programmes. Rather than buying standalone software or advisory services, many large organisations are looking for combinations of strategic advice, implementation support and industrial technology that can be applied across multiple sites and functions.

Schneider Electric and Deloitte said the collaboration is intended to help clients modernise operations and drive adoption across the wider organisation.