Topical Roundup: May 2025

Summary

Automation.com’s topical compilation for May focuses on current industry trends. Find out what’s happening in augmented reality in 2025, the latest information about agentic AI, and how to align legacy OT systems with modern systems. Also, just when you thought you were getting the hang of Industry 4.0, now people are talking about Industry 6.0. Stay informed about all the trends in automation by subscribing to Automation.com.
 

IIoT & Digital Transformation

2025 Trends for Augmented Reality in Manufacturing
Augmented Reality (AR) is no longer just a futuristic technology to monitor—it has become a powerful tool reshaping the manufacturing industry. These five trends promise to redefine how manufacturing professionals and organizations leverage AR for innovation and growth.  

How to Cross the Agentic AI Bridge to Physical AI in Manufacturing
Agentic AI goes beyond perceiving and generating; this type of artificial intelligence plans, makes decisions, uses tools and executes tasks autonomously—without being told what to do and without coding. However, agentic AI is not the destination; it’s the bridge connecting the industry to Physical AI and the ability to access systems that understand friction, gravity, spatial relationships and real-world cause and effect.

Factory Automation & Control

Industry 6.0: How the Next Industrial Revolution Will Reshape Manufacturing
 Industry 6.0 will build on the principles of industry 5.0, incorporating technologies such as AI, quantum computing, advanced robotics and big data analytics into the manufacturing process. This next revolution presents a future where manufacturing is driven primarily by intelligence, with little human intervention on the factory floor. Let’s take a closer look at what the manufacturing industry can expect as the 6th industrial revolution unfolds.

Case Study: Yamaha Robotics Delivers Flexible Automation Boosting Automotive Parts Manufacture’s Output
Yamaha Motor Robotics FA Section has delivered a 10% uplift in output for a customer manufacturing automotive parts, by superseding conventional conveyors with a system comprising LCMR200 modules.
 

Process Automation & Control

Capturing Process Data Without Process Penetrations: Non-Intrusive Instrumentation Delivers Flexibility
New technologies make reading some process variables and equipment conditions through metal or plastic pipe surfaces or tank walls possible, all without a process penetration. Let's examine four non-intrusive technology families and where they are particularly suited to providing missing process data.

Winning in the Age of Industrial AI with Innovation and Sustainability
At ARC Advisory Group Forum 2025, an ExxonMobil keynote speaker challenged attendees to think about integration and interoperability. In the presentation, called “Be a Part of the Future: A Journey to a More Visual Way of Working,” Michael Hotaling suggested that industry-wide transformation will happen by collaborating between suppliers and asset owners, separating hardware from software, separating software from data and deploying agentic AI models within the ecosystem.

Cybersecurity & Safety

OT Cybersecurity Best Practices: How to Align Tools Across Legacy and Modern Systems
In 2025 and the years ahead, the challenge is no longer about bridging an IT/OT divide—it’s about building layered, adaptable security architectures that apply familiar tools in environment-specific ways, across both legacy infrastructure and modern digital systems.

The Shift Toward a Business Outcomes Mentality in OT Cybersecurity
The shift in mindset toward business outcomes is timely, and needed. It will drive demand for data which we must have. It will promote collaboration between governmental and commercial entities–even competitors–and steer both users and providers alike towards solutions that make a real impact.
 

Enterprise Architecture and Networks

Digital Twins Revolutionize Cybersecurity: The advent of digital-twin technology in operational technology (OT) cybersecurity marks a significant leap in securing critical infrastructure. In OT cybersecurity, digital twins offer unparalleled advantages, enabling proactive vulnerability detection, enhanced incident response and robust risk management. 

Seven Strategies for Making the Most of Manufacturing Data
Automated systems of data collection, record keeping, reporting, analysis and visualization are becoming essential for manufacturing. How do you take all this data, extract the right information and put it in the hands of manufacturers when they need it? The answer comes from three solutions: ERP, MES and QMS software.
 

Operations and Management

Improving Life for the Workforce with Automation
At its core, automation isn’t just about machines running longer; it’s about making better use of human potential. When workers are freed from the grind of constant loading, unloading and monitoring, they’re able to shift their focus to solving problems, refining processes and maximizing the capabilities of new technology.

Configuration Change Management, Interoperability Play Roles in Mitigating Risks
In today’s industrial landscape, ensuring the safety and reliability of plant operations is paramount. With complex processes, intricate machinery and interconnected systems, maintaining a safe working environment requires diligent attention to detail and proactive measures. Effectively addressing configuration change management and interoperability can help industries significantly improve safety standards and mitigate potential risks.

_{This feature originally appeared in the May 2025 edition of Automation.com Monthly.}