LG CNS Targets North American Manufacturers With AI-Powered Smart Factory Platform

South Korea’s LG CNS is expanding its push into North American manufacturing, showcasing digital twins, modular manufacturing execution systems and AI-based predictive maintenance through its Factova smart factory platform at IMTS 2026 in Chicago.

The company is using the International Manufacturing Technology Show to target manufacturers across automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics, defence and medical devices as demand grows for AI-enabled factory operations. IMTS 2026 is expected to attract around 1,800 exhibitors and more than 90,000 visitors.

Factova Brings AI Across Factory Operations

Factova combines AI and IoT technologies to improve production management and factory operations.

LG CNS said the platform draws on decades of experience across manufacturing sites operated by LG Group companies including LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Chem and LG Energy Solution.

The company is highlighting three core technologies at IMTS: Factova Worldworks, Factova MES and Factova Control.

Digital Twin Simulates Factory Before Construction

Factova Worldworks creates a digital twin of a manufacturing facility, allowing companies to test factory layouts and production processes before implementing them physically.

Manufacturers can simulate equipment positioning and logistics flows in a 3D environment before a new factory is built, helping identify potential inefficiencies earlier in the design process.

Production data can also be introduced into the simulation to develop production plans and assess equipment condition.

For manufacturers building new plants or redesigning production lines, this provides a way to test operational changes without disrupting physical production.

Modular MES Uses AI to Optimise Production

LG CNS is also promoting Factova MES, its manufacturing execution system for managing production processes in real time.

The system uses AI to analyse shop-floor information including:

• Equipment utilisation
• Workforce activity
• Raw material consumption

The platform is modular, allowing manufacturers to select functions based on their industry and production process rather than deploying an entire MES environment at once.

This approach is intended to make smart factory deployment easier to scale as manufacturers introduce additional digital capabilities.

AI Predicts Equipment Failures

Predictive maintenance is another major part of LG CNS’s North American manufacturing strategy.

Factova Control collects and standardises equipment data from machinery supplied by different manufacturers, allowing production assets to be monitored through a unified system.

AI analyses signals including electrical current, temperature and vibration to identify abnormal equipment behaviour and detect early signs of potential failure.

The technology is currently deployed across more than 100,000 pieces of manufacturing equipment worldwide, according to LG CNS.

From Manual Inspections to Predictive Maintenance

LG CNS sees equipment intelligence as a way to shift maintenance away from periodic manual inspections towards continuous condition monitoring.

Its AI models analyse real-time equipment data to identify anomalies before they develop into larger failures, giving maintenance teams more time to investigate and respond.

The platform can also connect equipment-level information with higher-level systems such as MES, linking machine condition with production operations.

This integration is increasingly important as manufacturers seek to reduce unplanned downtime while running more automated and data-driven production lines.

LG CNS Expands Global Smart Factory Business

LG CNS has already deployed Factova technologies across more than 100 manufacturing sites globally and is using that experience to expand further into North America.

Earlier this year, the company also showcased Factova to small and mid-sized manufacturers in the United States, including AI solutions for semiconductor and aerospace process control and predictive equipment diagnostics.

Its IMTS appearance represents a broader effort to take manufacturing AI capabilities developed within South Korea’s industrial ecosystem into overseas markets.

For manufacturers, the offering reflects how smart factory platforms are increasingly bringing digital twins, MES, equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance into a single connected operating environment.