Articles and News

In the latest edition of the Ask the Automation Pros column, the pros discuss how to set up a data historian to transform data into information that can be used for process monitoring, diagnosis, prediction, optimization and continuous improvement.

Regular, versioned backups of SCADA projects should be managed diligently. Without them, you may or may not be able to recover your data when the system fails. We got lucky.

Factories generate enormous quantities of sensor data, yet most of it is never translated into timely operational decisions, leaving significant production capacity unrealized. The next industrial advantage will belong to companies and countries that build infrastructure capable of interpreting this data in real time and using it to improve factory operations.

Advanced digital tools can optimize performance and reduce costs, but only when based on accurate, connected data. This article discusses how data can be captured and structured to facilitate all the promises of a digitally integrated facility.

America’s manufacturing expansion faces not only a labor shortage but a loss of institutional knowledge as experienced workers retire. Factories must capture human decisions alongside machine data to create a sovereign knowledge repository that helps future workers diagnose problems, act faster, and avoid repeating mistakes.

Only 58% report that all or nearly all of their data is fully governed, leaving significant gaps as manufacturers look to scale AI across factories, supply chains, enterprise applications and edge environments.

Unified Namespace (UNS) is becoming a critical enabler for the next generation of manufacturing. It provides an a real-time, contextualized representation of the factory.

As industrial organizations race to capitalize on AI and other digital transformation initiatives, data readiness is emerging as the critical differentiator between organizations that experiment with AI and those that successfully scale it.

Andrew McDonald, founder and principal consultant of Future of Manufacturing LLC, has been elevated to ISA Fellow in 2026.

The two companies are developing a solid-state transformer for direct current applications in AI-ready data centers.

The global data center infrastructure market was valued at USD 234.2 billion in 2025 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% to reach USD 789.8 billion by 2035.

Used together, the two hubs give engineers a single, continuously updated reference spanning the full design chain, from inference engine to supply rail.

Your plant already runs on low-code. It has for thirty years, and it was called Excel.

The role will focus on WAGO's automation, connectivity and monitoring portfolio, with a goal to close the gap between IT and OT systems inside modern data center facilities.

The print, the setup sheet, the tooling sheet and the inspection plan: All delivered to the operator at the machine, all from one platform.

A worldwide network of purpose-built Physical AI training facilities will address the most significant barrier to intelligent robotics: the scarcity of real-world training data.

The standard defines a common way for software, platforms and AI applications to discover, access and understand manufacturing information.

Market expansion reflects the accelerating demand for low-latency digital infrastructure as real-time computing requirements continue to rise across connected ecosystems.

A new generation of lower-cost smart sensors and industry-standard connectivity protocols are making it easier, faster and more affordable to augment legacy shop floor equipment.

Siemens is investing €300 million to significantly expand the production of key technologies for the global energy transition and for AI data centers.