HARMAN Automotive and Arch Systems Named 2026 Automotive News PACE Award Finalist

HARMAN Automotive and Arch Systems have been named a finalist for the 2026 Automotive News PACE Award for “Scaling Factory Intelligence with Agentic AI,” recognizing their work to turn real-time factory data into guided action across HARMAN’s global electronics manufacturing network.

The recognition reflects HARMAN’s ongoing efforts to transform its manufacturing operations by moving beyond fragmented, site-specific tools toward a more connected and scalable approach to factory intelligence.

Transforming Factory Data Into Action

In automotive electronics manufacturing, identifying and resolving issues has historically relied on manual, expert-led data investigations. HARMAN and Arch Systems are working to change that through the Arch Factory Intelligence Platform, which connects factory data with analytics, AI and guided action.

The initiative combines the companies’ respective capabilities. Arch Systems provides the manufacturing data and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) foundation, while HARMAN brings engineering, systems integration and enterprise-scale delivery capabilities. The platform connects directly with legacy and modern manufacturing equipment and systems, creating a common data foundation across production environments and providing visibility into machine states, utilization, downtime, attrition and quality signals. HARMAN Global AME CIT has also contributed to the development of the technology through technical feedback, feature requests, testing, and other collaborative activities.

At HARMAN, these capabilities are delivered through the Arch Global and Local Operations (GLO) application. Purpose-built agentic AI executes defined operational workflows that monitor conditions, prioritize issues, and provide guided, role-based actions based on manufacturing best practices. Rather than making autonomous production decisions, the agentic AI helps operators, engineers, and production leaders move more quickly from identifying an issue to taking action.

Scaling Across HARMAN’s Manufacturing Network

The initiative originated in Garching, Germany, with HARMAN's Suzhou, China, facility serving as the pilot site, where advanced manufacturing analytics and guided action were put into practice before capabilities were rolled out across additional sites. Arch-enabled control rooms provide centralized visibility into production lines, allowing teams to monitor performance, generate process-level analytics, and track the execution and effectiveness of improvement actions.

Initial commercial deployment began in 2024, followed by a phased global rollout throughout 2025. The rollout continues as new capabilities are introduced.

Between January and August 2025, HARMAN achieved measurable improvements across multiple electronics manufacturing sites.

The approach also helps HARMAN reduce reliance on locally maintained tools, make proven operational practices more consistently available across sites, and optimize existing manufacturing capacity rather than adding new production lines.

Advancing Factory Intelligence

The Automotive PACE Award finalist announcement highlights more than the application of AI in manufacturing. It reflects HARMAN and Arch Systems’ work to build a common foundation for turning manufacturing data and expertise into repeatable action across a global production network.

By scaling capabilities first put into practice in Suzhou across additional manufacturing sites, HARMAN is demonstrating how connected data, manufacturing expertise and purpose-built AI can help teams identify issues faster, apply proven practices more consistently and get more from existing production capacity.

Winners of the 2026 Automotive News PACE Awards will be announced in November 2026.

Guido Heuser

Manager, Frontend Global Advanced Manufacturing Engineering

Connect with me: LinkedIn