From October 12-16, the Anthesis team had the pleasure of being a sponsor of IFS’ World Conference, IFS Unleashed 2026. This conference, aimed at IT decision-makers, C-suite executives and industry analysts, is IFS’ flagship statement about new functionality, investments in the product and their roadmap for the future.
In attendance from Anthesis were Rick Rivett, VP of Sales and Oliver Franks, Solutions Consultant who have attended countless IFS events in their time and gave their opinions on this year’s Unleashed conference.
First impressions
From walking into the impressive Orlando World Center Marriott, it was immediately clear that IFS is putting a strong foot forward and showcasing significant investment in robotics, AI and automation. This aligns perfectly with the message that Industrial AI is here, and IFS has the capability to deliver the solutions that are helping to drive businesses forward.
We arrived on Monday to set up and were greeted by a swathe of new robotics exhibitors like Tulip, TP7, Allie and Taurob showcasing their products and services. We believe that robotic-assisted manufacturing is the future. However, in our view, until this conference IFS has not acknowledged strongly enough that these robotics need to feed data back to the business’ systems quickly and accurately, so it is fantastic to see this on the front line.
For now, complex and technically difficult manufacturers can assure their employees they won’t be replaced just yet, as we also experienced robots tumbling over (in some cases with exceptional drama), getting caught up in barriers, and scooting off into the venue without any realisation of the chaos being caused behind them (and no, the football robot didn’t score any penalties against our own Oliver Franks)
An exclusive look at IFS Intelligence
Our Partner Summit included an exciting sneak preview of the all-new IFS Intelligence product. This is designed to help users communicate with IFS Cloud and other systems in natural language, understand their operational data, identify issues and take approved action, with permissions and human oversight built in. As a Specialized Partner, we recognize that this product is sure to be a game changer in how we help our clients use IFS and extract maximum value from their investment.
IFS Intelligence was undoubtedly one of the most impressive announcements of the week, but we believe there will be organisations who underestimate the preparation required to unlock its full value. AI tools can only be as effective as the processes, data quality and user understanding behind them
AI Loops have moved from hype to deployment
What surprised us is that many more IFS customers are taking advantage of new Industrial AI products than even we realized. Discussions about IFS’ agentic platform IFS Loops were everywhere, we had conversations with customers either live with at least one digital worker, or in the midst of implementing one. IFS Loops looks like an interesting piece of kit – however, we were left wondering where the line is drawn between IFS Loops and IFS Intelligence, and what tasks should be owned by what. Defining that will be the key to unlocking the real benefits.
IFS Unleashed is bigger and bolder than ever
We have attended every IFS World Conference and Unleashed event from the very beginning, and it is clear that these events continue to grow rapidly. There is a clear focus on how IFS Cloud and other products are readying companies for a truly digital age. Rick Rivett, our Vice President of Sales and Account Services for North America is an IFS ecosystem veteran and a familiar face at IFS events and was proud to attend his first Unleashed with Anthesis.
“I have never seen the event so busy with international customers and IFS Partners, both Channel and Services as well as new Technology partners,” Rick notes, “connecting with the IFS community of partners, customers and IFS colleagues is still the very best reason to attend and perhaps most importantly of all, the food has improved over the years!”
People still hold the most valuable intelligence
People are still hugely important to every business. Deploying agentic taskforces means the people within their business are freed up to focus on the important tasks that can only be accomplished by human interactions like negotiating with suppliers, finding new technologies and discovering that extra “40% untapped operational capacity” that Mark Moffat, IFS CEO, keeps focusing on.
“The missing 40% is already inside the business,” Moffat told attendees “it sits in the expertise of the control room, the knowledge of the night shift, and the data spread across every system. IFS Intelligence brings all of it together and puts it to work.”
IFS Intelligence depends on the users behind it
IFS Intelligence looks incredible, but it will highlight the quality of the people working on it. Accurately prompting is not a simple task, and understanding IFS terminology and process structure will no doubt provide better results on every level when the IFS Intelligence tool is being used. We had numerous conversations with knowledgeable customers who understand the system well enough to really make it work. We expect to see that less experienced users will not reap the same rewards from the tool without utilizing the expertise of partners who can provide guidance (you can speak to us, by the way).
Key takeaways
The quality of the conference is increasing year after year. Oliver Pilgerstorfer, CMO at IFS, and his team have done a great job of finding an incredible venue and creating experiences and memories that more than make the admission price worthwhile.
Through a partnership with Universal Studios, IFS provided an unforgettable experience with an exclusive evening at the park for their Customer Appreciation Night, an unmissable event for any rollercoaster enthusiast!
The quality of the guest speakers was exceptional with fascinating keynotes from Usain Bolt, Tom Brady and the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. The crowd, including us, were captivated and it was impossible not to draw the connection between top sporting achievements and business performance.
Our final thoughts
In our opinion, if you and your team have not experienced an IFS Unleashed, it’s definitely worth doing so. The focus on IFS products, the guest speakers and content and the social element, with customer interaction and great advice from partners and IFS employees alike, make it well worthwhile.
The biggest shift we noticed this year was not the technology itself, but the maturity of customer adoption. Previous events focused on what Industrial AI could do. This year the conversation had moved towards how customers are deploying it, measuring value from it and deciding what comes next.
Above all else, with the advancements in intelligence tools showing no signs of slowing, it is important to remember that it is people who remain our most valuable asset. Tom Constantine, Joint MD and Founder at Anthesis said it best on the reasons to attend this event:
“it’s the social side. There is great information about IFS, the product and the direction, but the real benefit for me is spending time with customers, with people from IFS, with other partners. That’s what it’s all about.”
Thanks for a great conference, IFS. We can’t wait for the next one.
