Critical Manufacturing Acquires Convanit to Advance AI-Powered Image Analytics in Smart Manufacturing

PORTO, Portugal, 29.07.2025 – Critical Manufacturing, a leading provider of next-generation Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), has announced the acquisition of Convanit, an AI specialist focused on image-based analytics for high-tech manufacturing. The acquisition marks a significant step in expanding the capabilities of the Critical Manufacturing Data Platform, enabling customers to harness the power of visual AI to drive greater precision, automation, and insight.

(From L to R) – Michael Meinel, Co-founder and CEO at convanit GmbH & Co. KG, Ines Thurner, Managing Director convanit GmbH & Co.KG, and Tom Bednarz, Sales Manager Tech Europe, Critical Manufacturing

With its flagship solution “c-Alice”, Convanit brings a powerful image classification engine built for complex industrial environments. The solution allows manufacturers to swiftly build and deploy custom AI models for visual inspection without the need for specialized programming or data science skills. What once required time consuming, manual inspection can now be done faster and with greater accuracy and built-in quality assurance.

“Manufacturers face growing pressure to deliver higher quality, faster, and ensure complete traceability, yet visual data remains one of the most underused assets on the shop floor,” said Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing. “By integrating Convanit’s advanced AI-powered image analytics into our platform, we are transforming how customers convert unstructured image data into actionable, contextualized intelligence. This acquisition is a key milestone in our vision for truly data driven, Industry 4.0 manufacturing.”

Through the integration of c-Alice, manufacturers using the Critical Manufacturing Data Platform will be able to:

Seamlessly ingest, classify, and analyze image data in conjunction with real-time process data.
Automate defect detection and trigger real-time anomaly alerts across production stages.
Connect image insights directly to MES workflows, traceability records, and quality reporting.
Deploy scalable AI models with low latency for continuous in-line operations.
Convanit’s intuitive interface supports a wide range of users including quality engineers and process specialists with no need for advanced coding skills. This accessibility helps scale AI adoption across production teams, enabling “citizen data scientists” to take ownership of model development and refinement.

“We created c-Alice to make visual AI simple, flexible, and effective for manufacturers,” said Michael Meinel, co-founder of Convanit. “Joining Critical Manufacturing brings our vision to a global stage, embedding it into one of the most powerful MES ecosystems on the market.”

The acquisition further reinforces Critical Manufacturing’s commitment to innovation in high-precision sectors including semiconductors, electronics, medical devices, and industrial equipment industries where traceability, quality, and responsiveness are business critical.