PARIS and ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos and IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced the expansion of a strategic global alliance to help companies accelerate their digital transformation and optimize business processes. The expanded alliance includes an intended focus on the development of joint offerings built on Atos' vertical decarbonized solution and service delivery assets, powered by IBM.

As a result of the alliance, clients can expect to have access to industry-specific automation solutions using AI and hybrid cloud technologies to enable digital acceleration and increase productivity and reduce costs. Atos and IBM will work together to address business challenges to serve the Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities, Oil and Gas, Retail and Transportation sectors.

The expected areas of focus will include:

• Asset Lifecycle Management Solutions – will leverage IBM Maximo to help enterprises optimize assets to further accelerate digital transformation and address risk. Benefits for clients will include the ability to identify areas for improvement within and across plants, real-time operations visibility and KPI(s) to ensure business continuity.
• Asset Monitoring and Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) Optimization Solutions – will leverage IBM Maximo to increase asset optimization and reduce capital expenses. Benefits for clients will include a predictive approach to MRO with decreased unplanned downtimes and increased asset lifetimes, resulting in the reduction of capital expenses. 
• Packaging, Transportation and Logistics Optimization Solutions – will optimize product packaging, transportation and logistics while reducing expenses.
• SMART Waste/Energy Monitoring and Optimization Solutions – will leverage IBM Watson and Red Hat OpenShift to help manufacturers and waste management companies optimize energy consumption.

"This alliance marks a new step in Atos' strategy to provide concrete business applications to its customers by working with the world-class leader IBM to power the next wave of innovation. It also resonates with our industry-specific approach focused on delivering tangible business outcomes," said Nourdine Bihmane, Head of Decarbonization Business Line and Head of Growing Markets at Atos. "IBM and Atos share a similar vision of an AI and data-driven digital transformation. Together, we will address some of the most pressing challenges facing organizations today to optimize their operations within plants, buildings and public infrastructure."

"Expanding IBM's alliance with Atos reinforces our mission to work with some of the most forward-thinking, customer-centric ecosystem partners in the world to accelerate client digital transformations," said Bob Lord, SVP Cognitive Applications and Ecosystems, IBM. "Atos delivers leading solutions that optimize business processes to produce tangible outcomes for asset-heavy industries. Combining Atos' industry-specific knowledge and commitment to sustainability with IBM's deep experience in AI and open hybrid cloud technology is critical to help clients modernize."