Minneapolis, MN [February 1, 2026] — EAC Product Development Solutions (EAC), a leading provider of engineering and manufacturing solutions, today announced an expansion of offerings with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI). These offerings will help product companies improve productivity across engineering and manufacturing by unlocking new value from data in systems they currently rely on.
Most engineers and manufacturers already have the right systems and data in place, but they struggle to quickly and efficiently access and reuse that information across systems in daily situations. This results in wasted time, duplicated effort, and slower decision-making, challenges that only increase as product complexity grows. EAC addresses these challenges by applying AI directly within existing environments, enabling teams to unlock new value from existing data, improve productivity, and accelerate execution. Companies can achieve all of this without disrupting the systems they depend on.
The development of this new business unit was driven by direct market insight. Robert Miller, Vice President of Connected Solutions at EAC, worked closely with customers and industry leaders to understand where AI could provide the most meaningful impact.
“We didn’t set out to build AI for the sake of AI,” said Robert Miller. “We spent time listening to our customers, understanding where they’re struggling, where productivity is lost, and where decisions are delayed. This business unit is built around solving those real problems in a way that fits into how organizations actually operate.”
EAC’s AI business is led by Mike Simon, who brings deep experience in product engineering and manufacturing, software development, and enterprise system integration. Under his leadership, the team will help customers apply AI in practical, high-impact ways that ensure increases in productivity by unlocking new value from data in their existing systems like PLM, ERP, and MES. The team improves productivity and data reuse within existing environments, while delivering right-sized, accessible AI solutions for customers seeking fast, low-risk gains from engineering and manufacturing workflows. From CAD to shop floor, EAC’s team improves productivity, knowledge access, and operational efficiency by integrating AI with existing mission-critical systems.
“People find most of the value is already in existing systems. It’s just not easy to access or use,” said Mike Simon. “Data and teams are often siloed. Many organizations are using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot, but they’re not seeing productivity gains. The challenge isn’t adopting AI. It’s applying it in a way that connects data, workflows, and teams. We focus on unlocking that value by integrating AI with the environments our customers already rely on, helping them improve productivity and see meaningful results quickly.”
Engineering organizations often manage large volumes of product data in PLM systems like Windchill and Teamcenter, with CAD files from Creo or SolidWorks, while similar data resides siloed in ERP and MES systems. Consequently, teams often struggle to efficiently access, interpret, and reuse that data in daily workflows. As a result, engineers spend time searching for data, revalidating designs, and duplicating work. With product complexity increasing and pressure to deliver faster growing, these inefficiencies compound and impact productivity at scale. EAC addresses this by integrating AI with existing environments, connecting data, workflows, and teams to enable faster access to critical information, improve reuse, and drive measurable productivity gains without disrupting current systems.
In many manufacturing environments, critical operational knowledge exists in MES and ERP systems, but it is often difficult for operators to access and use in real time. This leads to delays, inconsistent execution, and longer time to resolve issues on the floor. As workforce challenges and production pressures increase, these gaps directly impact productivity and efficiency. EAC, in partnership with OpsMate AI, addresses this by applying AI to connect manufacturing systems and knowledge stores to deliver real-time guidance to operators. This enables faster issue resolution, improved consistency, and measurable gains in shop floor performance.
EAC remains committed to helping product companies improve how they design, manufacture, connect, and support their products by building on the systems and relationships that have driven success for decades. By unlocking new value with AI, EAC continues to focus on delivering practical, measurable outcomes. This enhances existing environments, strengthens customer partnerships, and ensures that new capabilities translate into real operational value within the systems customers rely on every day.
