New release introduces agentic AI and automated digital assistants designed to boost productivity, support field crews and help contractors counter workforce shortages.
As contractors across the industry continue to feel the strain of labour shortages, cost pressure and increasingly complex workflows, a new release from global software provider IFS aims to directly address these challenges with the launch of IFS Cloud 25R2 – the company’s latest evolution in Industrial AI. The update introduces a new class of “Digital Workers,” which act as intelligent software agents capable of thinking, deciding and executing tasks across ERP, asset management and field-service systems. According to IFS, these embedded AI capabilities are designed to function as true co-workers, multiplying human capacity at a time when industrial sectors face significant workforce reductions and escalating project demands.
Digital workers take aim at “invisible work”
A central focus of the 25R2 release is the elimination of what IFS calls “invisible work” – that is the repetitive administrative tasks that consume between 40 and 60 per cent of the time spent by field and operations staff. Tasks such as order processing, inventory tracking, maintenance scheduling and data entry may not involve cranes or concrete pumps, but collectively they drive delays, missed coordination windows and unplanned downtime on complex builds. IFS Loops Digital Workers automate these workflows, operating within a governed environment with full auditability. In addition, the new agents are equipped with domain-specific knowledge, enabling them to understand industrial constraints and execute tasks continuously without requiring manual handoffs. The initial launch consists of five Digital Workers including agents dedicated to customer orders, supplier coordination, materials replenishment, inventory management and operational analysis.
AI embedded in field, asset and resource planning
IFS Cloud 25R2 integrates applied AI throughout the construction operations lifecycle. In field service applications, technician-focused tools provide instant access to documentation, generate job summaries and create clear service reports. In Enterprise Asset Management, new AI capabilities improve maintenance accuracy and enable easier reporting through voice-to-text summaries and automated failure-mode analysis. And on the ERP side, 25R2 adds AI-powered material-planning simulations and enhances compliance workflows, helping contractors forecast demand more effectively and plan procurement around volatile pricing in cement, rebar and formwork systems.
Supporting workforce capacity on large builds
For contractors facing both a generational talent gap and increasingly compressed schedules, the potential benefit is expanded workforce capacity without adding headcount. By automating repetitive administrative tasks and improving access to information in the field, IFS argues that crews can spend more time on high-value work, coordinating concrete placements, managing form cycles, ensuring quality and addressing schedule-critical issues. For organizations managing multiple high-rise or infrastructure projects, this type of AI-enabled orchestration may help reduce bottlenecks and improve decision-making in real time.
Sustainability and data-driven growth
The release also includes new AI-generated KPI narratives and enhanced emissions tracking, embedding sustainability considerations into daily operations. For contractors increasingly required to report embodied-carbon impacts and track materials usage, these tools could help streamline compliance and support bidding on public-sector or P3 projects.
IFS Cloud 25R2 is now available globally, offering contractors across industrial and construction sectors a meaningful way to apply Industrial AI directly within their operational workflows.
