Manhattan Associates has launched a set of AI agents for its Manhattan Active platform, marking a commercial rollout of agent-based automation across its retail and supply chain software suite.
The company said the agents sit inside the Manhattan Active platform rather than operating as an add-on layer over data lakes. Manhattan described the approach as providing real-time action and operational context across execution and optimisation processes.
Manhattan positions the release as an expansion of its Manhattan Active product line. The company said it has embedded the agents across all Manhattan Active solutions.
Two agent types
Manhattan said it has developed two categories of agents. It calls the first group Interactive Agents. Manhattan described them as digital assistants for specific user roles inside Manhattan Active applications.
Manhattan said these agents focus on task simplification and guided decision-making for frontline staff and other operational users. The company also said they target productivity improvements in daily work.
The second group is Autonomous Agents. Manhattan said these operate in the background and monitor operations continuously. It also said the agents automate repetitive work, identify operational issues and apply remedies automatically.
Manhattan framed the Autonomous Agents as a way of reducing manual intervention in operational workflows. It also linked the approach to service level improvements.
Use cases
In its omnichannel product set, Manhattan pointed to a Store Associate Agent. The company said it provides real-time sales performance assessments and insights.
Manhattan also highlighted a Contact Centre Agent. It said the agent provides key customer insights for contact centre staff. Manhattan linked that information flow to faster and more effective interactions by associates.
On the supply chain side, Manhattan cited a Labour Agent. It said the agent provides guidance on workforce deployment across departments. The company said the guidance uses remaining work to be completed as an input.
Manhattan also referenced a Shipment Tracking agent. It said the agent identifies potential issues and recommends compensatory actions.
Agent Foundry
Alongside the agent rollout, Manhattan said customers gain access to Manhattan Agent Foundry. The company described it as a platform for customers to build new agents and customise existing ones.
Manhattan said customers can create agents using natural language. It also said organisations can customise an existing Manhattan agent and connect it to their requirements through APIs and other platform functions.
The company said customers can develop agents on their own or work with Manhattan and third-party partners. It also said agents built in Agent Foundry align with A2A and MCP agent communication standards. Manhattan said that supports interoperability between agents and with other enterprise agents a customer develops.
Early access customer
Manhattan named Eaton as an early access customer using several agents within Warehouse Management. The company said Eaton has used the base Wave Coordinator and Labour Agents.
Manhattan said Eaton has used the agents to deploy associates to specific zones for fulfilment activities. It also said Eaton and Manhattan collaborated through Active Foundry to create a Dock Agent. Manhattan said that agent monitors workflow and expedites select tasks.
One context for the deployment is Eaton’s focus on warehouse execution and labour deployment. “At Eaton we’re driving new levels of speed and automation enabling our teams to be more customer focused. Active Agents are delivering real-time insights and actionable recommendations that are improving operational efficiency,” said Steve Sprecher, IT Director, Eaton.
“The Wave Coordinator Agent and the live labour planning recommendations are helping us increase efficiency and allocate resources more effectively – key steps in supporting Eaton’s strategy to deliver superior service and remain a trusted choice for customers and partners,” said Sprecher.
Product direction
“Our AI Agents represent a fundamental shift in how efficiently retail and supply chain solutions function,” said Sanjeev Siotia, EVP & CTO, Manhattan.
“We’ve combined deep domain intelligence with agentic automation to move beyond the hype of chatbots. With their operational readiness, these agents diagnose root causes and orchestrate workflows to fix them efficiently. They don’t just assist – they act. In this competitive and fast-paced ecosystem, our agents’ workforce gives our customers a simpler, faster, and more efficient way to function and succeed,” said Siotia.
Manhattan said the agents are available commercially across its Manhattan Active solutions, with customers able to deploy built-in agents and develop their own through Manhattan Agent Foundry.