AI-Driven Maintenance Solutions Optimize Industrial Efficiency

Q: How has the company evolved to meet market needs?
A: We have evolved significantly since founding of the company. We initially focused on solving mechanical failures, but quickly expanded to include advanced performance monitoring solutions, operational management, and energy consumption tracking. Our sensors and software enable industries to comprehensively manage maintenance, from technician geolocation to predictive control of existing systems. With the introduction of our Omni Trac
sensor and the platform that transforms data into insights, we have become the comprehensive copilot for industrial operations that prevents mechanical, electrical, and operational failures.

Q: What factors were key to the company’s evolution?
A: From the beginning, we experienced the difficulties of machine failures firsthand, allowing us to develop solutions tailored to these needs. We have been flexible in adjusting our solutions when necessary and always focus on understanding the problem thoroughly. This approach led us to innovate in both hardware and software to combine them efficiently, something that few companies manage to do well. The ability to take the right path, even if it’s not the easiest, has allowed us to position ourselves with over 800 companies and more than 100,000 monitored machines.

Q: How do you use customer feedback to strengthen your offering?
A: We take a "listen and act" approach to ensure that our solutions align with real user needs, enabling us to continuously improve and offer tools that truly solve their operational issues. Last year, over half of the tools we developed came directly from customer suggestions, surpassing those put forward by our development team. 

Q: What are the main needs you have identified among Mexican clients, and how does your technology help them address those challenges?
A: In Mexico, our clients mainly want to prevent unexpected machine breakdowns. The country faces a significant cultural challenge because many companies do not see technology as a strategic ally. The prevailing mindset is that machines are likely to fail and must be repaired quickly when they do. We are committed to changing this perspective by demonstrating that our solutions can help avoid failures altogether. By optimizing predictive maintenance through AI and advanced technology, we assist our clients in reducing unplanned downtime and maximizing their opportunities in the manufacturing sector, which represents 40% of Mexico’s industrial GDP.

Q: What specific characteristics differentiate Mexico from other markets?
A: Despite Mexico’s proximity to the United States, the two countries take a different approach when making technology decisions. In the United States, it is common for plant or operations directors to be closely involved in discussions to optimize processes or adopt new technologies, as they understand the strategic importance of these decisions. In Mexico, they often only get involved during the final stages, which can limit the effectiveness of the processes. However, this trend is gradually changing. If leaders do not get involved early on, they miss the chance to make well-informed decisions. As production chains grow due to nearshoring, this mindset can result in missed opportunities for optimization and growth.

Q: How have your technologies transformed operational efficiency and provided economic benefits in Mexico’s industrial sector?
A: One of our most representative success stories involved a large food company. We helped it prevent a critical failure in a machine that is key to its production line, saving it MX$35 million (US$1.8 million) by avoiding significant downtime and repair costs. 

Tractian works with industries that represent 5% of global production GDP. In Mexico, with 30.7% of GDP tied to the industrial sector, the direct impact of our technologies could reach US$247 billion, offering a return on investment up to 10 times the cost of the device. This translates into significant annual savings for companies.

Q: What strategies is Tractian deploying to capture opportunities arising from nearshoring in Mexico?
A: We experienced a 50% increase in sales in Mexico last quarter, largely driven by nearshoring. Our clients are reconfiguring their facilities to maximize space utilization, allowing them to incorporate more machinery, which offers strong growth potential for us. However, this trend also presents significant challenges, such as the need for a cultural transformation within industries. We are focusing on training engineers and technicians through our partnership with Predictiva21 and Predyc, a training platform that has already certified over 35,000 professionals. This training is crucial to help the workforce adopt and leverage new technologies effectively.
 
It is also essential to have government support to improve the country's infrastructure. Plant openings have been delayed due to water and energy issues. We need to assure companies they can operate smoothly in Mexico by offering not only skilled labor but also adequate infrastructure. If these challenges are addressed, Mexico has the potential to become the "factory of the world," a title historically associated with China.

Q: How does Tractian ensure the security and reliability of data, as well as protection against cyberthreats in its AI-assisted monitoring and maintenance solutions?
A:  Tractian is deeply committed to data security, aligning with ISO 27001 standards to certify our information security management practices. This certification dispels any uncertainty around the integrity of our clients’ data, affirming that security is foundational to our offerings. Leveraging Amazon’s cloud infrastructure, we adhere to rigorous security protocols, ensuring clients don’t have to choose between security and operational reliability—they receive both.These achievements and certifications reflect our rigorous approach to data protection and our dedication to offering reliable solutions in the industrial market.

Q: What advances in AI are expected to have the most significant impact on Tractian’s future?
A: Large language models (LLMs) will likely have a significant impact on our future offer. We are implementing these technologies to enable operators not only to identify failures in real time but also to request detailed spectrum analyses and guidance on next steps. Our system, Tractian GPT, leverages data from over 100,000 machines, collecting spectrums and vibrations every five minutes. This allows us to provide precise answers regarding maintenance, such as preventive maintenance for motors, with much more accuracy than a simple chatbot. We also plan to introduce over 30 patents this year, which will further position us as leaders in the market and allow us to offer innovative and effective solutions to our clients.

Q: What short-term development and expansion plans does the company have to strengthen its presence both nationally and internationally?
A: We will focus on our primary markets: Mexico, the United States, and Brazil, as we have offices in Mexico City, Atlanta, and Sao Paulo. We now aim not only to address failures but also to provide performance insights to offer valuable information about machine and production line performance. This oversight will help us further strengthen our position as leaders in condition monitoring and asset management, as well as our presence in production optimization.

Q: What recommendation would Tractian give to companies in the Mexican industrial sector?
A: Companies should take advantage of the opportunities presented by nearshoring and the growth of maintenance. Both maintenance and production are strategic sectors that directly impact production capacity and, therefore, revenue and profitability. It is essential to focus on these areas as they are the heart of a company. Companies must be also willing to innovate. Throughout history, from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of AI, we have seen two choices: to witness the change or to lead it. So far, leading the change has proven to be the best option. taking the lead has proven to be the most advantageous choice. Every leader should consider how they can actively contribute to this transformation and adopt an innovative mindset.