This isn't a technology problem. It's a data access problem. The data exists - in SCADA systems, MES logs, maintenance tickets, shift reports - but extracting anything meaningful from it requires a SQL query or an analyst who's already busy. So decisions get made on gut feel and incomplete information.

A VP of Operations shouldn't need to submit a data request to find out why throughput dropped Tuesday afternoon. But that's the reality in most plants. By the time an analyst surfaces the answer, the shift is over, the crew has moved on, and the root cause has been buried under three more production runs.

The problem isn't data volume. Modern manufacturing environments generate extraordinary amounts of operational telemetry. The problem is accessibility. Most of that data lives in systems designed for engineers, not executives. Interpreting it requires technical fluency that most operational leaders don't have and shouldn't need.

Databricks Genie is a conversational AI layer that sits on top of your unified data platform. It doesn't replace your MES or SCADA system. It makes those systems answerable to anyone who needs to understand them.