NTT DATA and Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Announce Breakthrough Physical AI Solution in Manufacturing

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• Physical AI embeds intelligence into quality assurance for critical assembly operations
• When compared to legacy techniques, physical AI cuts deployment timelines from months to weeks
• Co-innovation improves product reliability and maintains quality standards at scale

NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, and Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (HYMH), the manufacturer of Hyster® and Yale® lift trucks, today announced a breakthrough application of physical AI that embeds intelligence directly into manufacturing processes. This approach leverages sensor data to enable machines and systems to perceive, understand and act in real-time within real-world operations.

Bringing this capability into practice introduces AI-driven quality assurance directly into HYMH’s manufacturing operations. This co-developed approach represents a first-of-its-kind use case of how physical AI can be applied in an industrial assembly environment by embedding intelligence into production workflows, helping to safeguard that products are built to consistently high standards.

NTT DATA designed and developed the solution at HYMH’s manufacturing facility in Berea, KY, integrating vision sensors, edge AI that processes data on-site and advanced analytics into a critical assembly workflow.

Together with partner Archetype AI, NTT DATA in collaboration with HYMH, adapted a physical AI model that analyzes assembly activity against expected production steps, validating that all parts are installed and assembly stages are completed, flagging deviations before the product moves to the next stage. By validating quality throughout the assembly process, the solution helps identify and address potential issues before products leave the factory floor.

This initiative demonstrates a step-change in how AI can be applied in manufacturing environments. Combined with edge computing, the solution can run locally so all processing happens on-site, enabling faster rollout and quicker time-to-value. Early results showed that physical AI cuts deployment timelines from months to weeks when compared with legacy techniques, accelerating adoption and iteration across manufacturing operations.

“Our confidence in physical AI continues to grow, and we’re starting to see the countless benefits that AI can bring to our global manufacturing operations,” said Barbara Binda, Director of Global Manufacturing Innovation, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling. “Working with NTT DATA allows us to leverage how physical AI can help our production teams maintain high-quality standards and deliver the most reliable products to our clients.”

"This deployment shows what physical AI looks like in real production environments, not as a concept, but with tangible impact on the factory floor,” said Shahid Ahmed, Global Head of Edge Services, NTT DATA, Inc. "By combining real production data with physical AI models at the edge, we’re helping leading manufacturers like HYMH deliver high quality products, support frontline workers and apply AI in ways that deliver real-world outcomes.”

As manufacturers accelerate automation, demand is rising for physical AI that can operate safely in complex environments, driving efficiency, quality and resilience. NTT DATA is uniquely positioned to deliver this capability at scale, combining industry expertise with end-to-end services to integrate AI across IT and operational technology environments, enabling intelligent, data-driven operations.

Today’s news builds on a longstanding collaborative relationship between NTT DATA and HYMH. Together, the companies are advancing more adaptive and intelligent manufacturing processes and exploring how physical AI can be scaled to drive repeatable, high-quality production outcomes.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world’s leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 70 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D. Visit us at nttdata.com

About Hyster‑Yale Materials Handling

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., designs, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks, parts and technology and energy solutions marketed globally primarily under the Hyster®, Yale®, Nuvera® and Maximal® brand names. The company’s subsidiary, Bolzoni S.p.A., is a leading worldwide producer of attachments, forks, masts and lift tables marketed under the Bolzoni®, Auramo® and Meyer® brand names.

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale, Inc. (NYSE: HY).

TCS Launches 7th Gemini Experience Center Worldwide, 2nd in US

The TCS Gemini Experience Center in Troy features an AI‑powered humanoid robot (in photo) that will use advanced sensing, edge intelligence, and secure cloud orchestration to enable real‑time operational insight and autonomous decision‑making.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced the launch of its seventh Gemini Experience Center globally—and second in the US—at Troy, Michigan, in partnership with Google Cloud. The center is designed to accelerate AI-powered manufacturing by integrating Google’s Gemini models with TCS’ expertise in “Physical AI". 

Key Details

• Location: Troy, Michigan, USA
• Launch Date: March 9, 2026
• Partnership: Google Cloud
• Focus: AI-driven manufacturing solutions, specifically “Physical AI”
• Global Footprint: 7th Gemini Experience Center worldwide, 2nd in the US

Strategic Purpose

• Accelerating AI adoption in manufacturing
• Physical AI development integrating robotics, sensors, and industrial systems
• Future-ready enterprises with scalable frameworks

Why It Matters

• For US manufacturing: Michigan is a hub for automotive and advanced manufacturing
• For global clients: TCS positions itself as a leader in AI-driven industrial transformation
• For India’s IT sector: Expansion strengthens global presence and showcases leadership

📊 Comparison: TCS Gemini Centers

Region	Number of Centers	Focus Area
India	Multiple	AI R&D, enterprise solutions
US (Troy, MI)	2	Manufacturing, Physical AI
Europe	Several	Industry 4.0, sustainability
Global Total	7	AI-powered transformation

Challenges & Risks

• Adoption barriers: high upfront costs and integration challenges
• Workforce transition: reskilling needed due to automation
• Competitive landscape: differentiation against other IT majors

Takeaway

TCS’ Gemini Experience Center in Troy is a strategic investment in AI-powered manufacturing, combining Google’s Gemini models with TCS’ industrial expertise. For manufacturers, this means faster adoption of Physical AI, smarter factories, and a pathway to global competitiveness.

Biology will Drive the Future of Manufacturing, says Quantumzyme CEO Naveen Kulkarni

With rising global demand, the need for sustainable manufacturing processes is now greater, more than ever. But with conventional chemical catalyst-based industrial manufacturing; these processes have an adverse impact on the environment. Naveen Kulkarni, CEO, Quantumzyme 

The challenge today is not stepping up manufacturing; but moving to sustainable manufacturing processes that use raw materials efficiently, eliminates waste, and avoids the use of toxic materials. 

While many researchers, start-ups, and enterprises are making constant attempts towards sustainable manufacturing; one Indian start-up named Quantumzyme has been making waves recently with its technology for green chemistry and promoting enzyme-based manufacturing. While there are intermittent clashes with our neighbours over border rows, an alternative race is on over whos the next manufacturing giant. 

As Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, India, stated that India is the biggest vaccine manufacturer in the world - it has to be ensured that this leap doesn't come at the expense of our environment. Unlike metal-based catalysts that rely on harsh, energy-intensive processing, Quantumzyme has developed pioneering biocatalysts that grow the activation rate by upto 150 times and are easily biodegradable. 

The company has developed an in-house framework, named "QZyme Workbench™", that enables in-silico or Computer-aided enzyme engineering, effectively reducing the turnaround time and raw materials required, while elevating the process efficiency. The platform supports the entire process of development from identification to engineering and providing sequences that can be taken to the lab to perform experiments and scaled up for manufacturing. It uses proprietary algorithms, necessary to carry out substitutions of appropriate amino-acid residues that are instrumental in performing the bio catalytic reaction. 

According to a recent ACS Catalysis report, the QZyme workbench enabled detection of bottleneck residues which hindered the rate of reaction - and with minor mutations, a 200-fold increase in the production of end-product was observed with high stereo-specificity.

Quantumzyme CEO, Naveen Kulkarni, stated, "As India steps up its manufacturing processes, it is imperative that we keep the well-being of our environment in mind. With Quantumzyme, we envision a future free from chemical catalysts that are inherently cumbersome, and release harmful byproducts. With enzyme-based biocatalysts, we will eliminate just that." He believes that biology not just helps with sustainability - but is a potential manufacturing platform for a trillion dollar global market opportunity. 

Mr. Kulkarni was felicitated with "Most Innovative Idea" by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with several other accolades from the likes of Economic Times, Government of Karnataka, among others. A regular contributor to leading journals like Nature, ACS Bio catalysis, etc., Mr. Kulkarni served as the CEO of Biotech Startups, and before that, was Director at Philips Research and associated primarily with the healthcare and energy sector. 

While we gradually overcome this COVID-19 crisis and transform back to normal, it is imperative that we are ready for any such crisis like these in the future. And so we need more such research-driven setups like Quantumzyme that help the nation grow without any adverse impact on the environment.