THE CRUNCH
Anthropic has released Claude for Manufacturing, a plugin that gives its AI assistant direct access to industrial software so it can automate factory workflows. The plugin connects through four universal interfaces to Autodesk Fusion, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft 365 and Infor, while other systems can be brought in via file exports to Microsoft 365.
Anthropic says the package includes 17 specific skills: Claude can draft quotes based on actual inventory, compare suppliers, generate quality reports and design variants, and analyse sensor data and manuals during machine downtime. Through an added Infor plugin, it can also order from backup suppliers when deliveries are delayed and reschedule production, though only after human approval.
Every result is linked back to its original source documents so employees can review the output before it reaches customers or suppliers. The plugin is available to Team and Enterprise customers, and it does not control physical machines.
For that, Anthropic is separately developing the Model Hardware Standard as a research preview, which would connect AI agents to devices such as robotic arms and microscopes via standardised drivers. Anthropic says this cuts setup time from weeks or months to hours or minutes, but still requires human oversight because the AI has a limited grasp of physical processes.