Lectra, a French provider of industrial intelligence solutions with a focus on the fashion, automotive, and furniture industries, is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations and has acquired a 30 per cent share in AQC, a French enterprise that specialises in the automated identification of textile flaws using machine learning techniques.
Lectra has made a US $ 1.43 million investment in AQC, setting the stage for a strategic alliance between the two businesses. Established in 2019, AQC intends to leverage the funding to further expand, and its AI-powered quality control instruments will introduce fresh approaches to the software, cutting tools, and analysis resources that Lectra provides to manufacturers and brands.
“AQC’s objectives, which are in perfect harmony with the Lectra group’s strategy, are to solve sustainability issues and usher textile quality control into the Industry 4.0 era,” stated Maximilien Abadie, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Product Officer of Lectra. “By adding another link in the value chain for our fashion customers, this strategic partnership will strengthen Lectra’s value proposition and enable our customers to benefit from AQC’s expertise,” he continued.
Lectra revealed yet another significant AI investment in the middle of September. In a US $ 2.74 million funding round, the French company acquired an 18 per cent interest in Six Atomic, a Singapore-based company. With Six Atomic, manufacturers and brands can use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to build modular pattern libraries, cutting down on the development time of their collections.
