Plan, deploy and operate factory automation. This sums up what the Quebec start-up Extend AI is able to do thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Its first solution is already enabling architectural stone specialist Polycor to reduce losses and waste, and this is just the beginning.
The company founded by Carl Chouinard in 2018 is thinking big. What it aims to do: Use the technology it has developed to perform the equivalent of x-rays of production lines, distribution centers and other physical locations to determine how automation can be implemented and optimize it.
“Our systems, through observation, are able to identify the automation of repetitive manual tasks and transformation steps,” says Chouinard. From there, the AI can propose to make it more efficient, more efficient and go so far as to automate a work cell. »
Stone AI, the first version of this solution, has been deployed at Polycor in recent months. An inspection machine equipped with 16 “very powerful” cameras was installed above a conveyor. We are talking about a box of about two cubic meters. By accumulating and processing a large volume of data, the company was able to automate the natural stone slab inspection and cutting process at Polycor. A slice is worth an average of $1,000 and is 12 feet long and about 6 feet wide, Chouinard points out.
“It’s an industry that generates a lot of losses,” he said. With AI, we are able to reduce them by 20-50% per slice on average. »
The deployment is in its infancy in the Polycor plant in Saint-Sébastien, in Montérégie. Nevertheless, the Quebec company believes that the start-up allows it to tick several boxes: automating its production, mitigating the impact of labor shortages and reducing the amount of residue.
“It’s hard to find new employees,” says the stone specialist’s chief technology officer, Malorie Jolin. “Automation allows us to meet this challenge. We had done some research, but couldn’t find who was integrating artificial intelligence into the process. »
Extend AI is the result of the collaboration of Quebec entrepreneurs. The specialist in technological solutions Premier Tech is among its investors, alongside, in particular, the president of QScale, Martin Bouchard, the founder of Mirego, Albert Dang-Vu, and the designer of DuProprio, Nicolas Bouchard.
We do not just want to grow the young artificial intelligence shoot, but to forge links. For example, AI requires a significant amount of energy to process data. Eventually, when the needs are greater, we aim to see QScale enter the scene. The Quebec operator of high-performance servers could offer processing capacity to Mr. Chouinard’s business.
“We’re aiming to expand the capacity to a full plant,” says Chouinard. There, you can start optimizing an entire production chain or industrial processes. »
For multinational Premier Tech, whose divisions focus on optimizing manufacturing facilities and digitalization, there was clear value in partnering with Extend AI. This is what prompted the company’s president and CEO, Jean Bélanger, to invest.
Having got hold of the digital products firm Mirego in the past, there were already links with the young shoot team. The interest is two-fold for Premier Tech: the company could, for example, integrate Extend AI solutions at home or serve as a springboard.
“There’s really a lot of commonality in wanting apps to be at Premier Tech and building partnerships,” says Bélanger.
Founded: 2018
President: Carl Chouinard
Investors: Premier Tech, Panache Venture, Anges Québec Capital and Boréal Ventures
Funding to date: 4.2 million
