Digital Factory: The future begins today

Boost productivity, increase sustainability, strengthen data security.
Person in the Phoenix Contact electronics manufacturing facility

Create real value from data For the greater efficiency, resilience, safety, and security of your system

Make the transition from being the owner to the manager of your data. With Digital Factory now solutions, you will not only improve the efficiency of your system, but also increase productivity and availability at the same time – step by step. Our solutions for cybersecurity and the safety of machinery ensure greater resilience, stability, and compliance with current legal directives.

Practical guide
Real-world applications instead of theory: Your practical guide to turning data chaos into a competitive advantage

Our practical guide uses customer examples, specific use cases, and easy-to-implement approaches to help you make digitalization tangible and successful. Whether you’re an OEM, operator, or end-user. Simple, not complicated. Secure digitalization with a product portfolio ranging from sensors to the cloud. Take the next step in turning the flood of data into measurable business success.

Download the practical guide
Practical guide to scalable digitalization

Success stories from customer projects


Critical infrastructure in a HIKAR system

Prevent system downtime before it occurs Detect anomalies at an early stage. Manage maintenance effectively. Ensure availability.

From reactive to proactive: These references illustrate how our AI-based machine learning analytics can help you prevent downtime, streamline maintenance processes, and sustainably increase the availability of your critical infrastructure.

Digitalization during ongoing operations in the food industry

Digitalize existing systems without jeopardizing critical processes Retrofit without interruption. Connect IT and OT. Network data securely.

Digitalization doesn’t have to start from scratch, thanks to our solutions for brownfield digitalization and IT/OT integration. These references illustrate how existing production environments are networked, analyzed, and optimized step by step. Use our open PLCnext Technology Ecosystem to automate processes in a scalable, safe, and secure manner in accordance with the current directives for cybersecurity and the safety of machinery.

Practical example: Achieving sustainability goals in the food industry through digitalization

Food industry employees with an iPad
IIOT framework in the food industry with beverage bottles
IEC 62443 certification
Food industry employees with an iPad

Increased efficiency: Digitalization optimizes and automates production processes, resulting in higher efficiency and lower operating costs.
Sustainability: The All Electric Society promotes the use of renewable energies and reduces carbon emissions, thus supporting the sustainability of production processes.
Quality control: Digital technologies enable more precise monitoring and control of production processes, thereby improving product quality.
Flexibility: Networking and automation enable production lines to be quickly adapted to new products and changing market requirements.

More about data-driven sustainability
IIOT framework in the food industry with beverage bottles

With Digital Factory now, we provide you with tailor-made solutions for the food industry to improve the sustainability, productivity, and safety of your systems:
IIOT portfolio:

  • Real-time monitoring: Continuous data acquisition and analysis of sensors and actuators and for early detection of deviations.
  • Digital twins: Virtual representations of production systems simplify planning and optimization.
    -__ Integration and networking with the IIOT framework:__ Seamless integration of various systems and devices for improved data processing and analysis.
    Machine learning and signal technology:
  • Predictive maintenance: Predicting maintenance requirements to avoid unplanned downtime.
  • Anomaly detection: Early detection of unusual patterns in production data with machine learning.
    Measuring technology:
  • Precise measurements: High-precision devices for precise monitoring of production parameters to increase quality and efficiency.

More about machine learning and AI
IEC 62443 certification

IEC 62443 certification is of great importance for the food industry, as it is considered a critical manufacturing sector. With our IEC 62443-certified components, we help you comply with current security standards:

  • Cybersecurity: This standard ensures the protection of industrial automation and control systems (IACS) against cyberattacks.
  • Risk minimization: Certifications help identify and eliminate vulnerabilities, thereby reducing the risk of production downtime and security incidents.
  • Compliance and trust: Adhering to international security standards strengthens the trust of customers and partners and offers a competitive advantage.
  • Holistic approach: The standard covers the entire lifecycle of components and systems, from development and operation through to decommissioning.

More about cybersecurity

Practical example: Reducing emissions in thermal processing technology

Employees in the thermal processing industry as well as data and dashboards
Functional safety in the context of industrial thermal process technology
MLnext for machine learning and AI in thermal process technology
Employees in the thermal processing industry as well as data and dashboards

Energy-intensive industries, such as the steel, glass, and ceramics industries, face the challenge of converting their existing thermal processes along the entire production chain to low-carbon or zero-carbon methods of operation. This requires minimally invasive, open technologies that create sustainable infrastructures while ensuring functional safety. At the same time, certified, open digitalization and automation platforms must be available for security. For the energy transition to succeed, thermal systems must be designed so that they can be powered by electricity from renewable energy sources or other future low-carbon energy sources. In order to improve efficiency and environmental protection, our solutions help to reduce emissions in thermal processing technology.

More about industrial thermal processing technology

Functional safety in the context of industrial thermal process technology

  • Retrofits and the effective integration of sensors for fuel and exhaust gas analysis as well as new sensor generations are scalable regardless of the communication protocol
  • The functional safety of the furnace, melting tank, or boiler goes hand in hand with cybersecurity in accordance with the requirements of IEC 62443 or NIS 2.0
  • The operator can introduce machine learning (ML) and industrial IoT (IIoT) for condition-based monitoring and process optimization in their systems – both off-premises and, in particular, on-premises
  • Agility can be increased through low- or no-code applications that enable simple, individual, and scalable adaptation to changing fuel lines by using uniform parameterization platforms such as the open source tool Grafana

EU Machinery Regulation
MLnext for machine learning and AI in thermal process technology

Early detection of unusual behavior patterns can prevent faults and changes in combustion processes. This includes gas fluctuations, load curve adjustments, and effective control of actuators and dampers. PLCnext Technology, including the MLnext software solution, is used for this purpose. The predictive approach also offers other potential economic and sustainability benefits:

  • Higher overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in thermal process machines – such as an IS machine in the glass industry – and thus a significant reduction in rejects
  • Effective and intelligent control of fuel-air ratios and electric heating systems by eliminating the need for expensive external hardware such as automatic devices, leak detection systems, or temperature controllers
  • Factory-wide intelligent and condition-based monitoring of the process, including safety-related sensors for measuring emissions, furnace, chimney draft, and hearth pressure, classic safety of machinery, and various temperature and pressure values

AI-based production optimization with MLnext

FAQs from machine builders and systems manufacturers

Increased productivity icon
Proficloud maintenance on a smart watch
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Increased productivity icon

PLCnext Technology enables the integration of real-time-capable controllers and the use of high-level languages such as C/C++ and MATLAB® Simulink®. This enables flexible and high-performance automation.

Proficloud maintenance on a smart watch

Proficloud.io provides smart services such as the Device Management Service and the Impulse Analytics Service, which enable predictive maintenance and monitoring.

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EMpro energy measuring devices record and analyze energy data to optimize energy consumption and are already integrated into the IIoT framework predefined without generating any additional data silos. They can also be linked there to all other media (utilities).

FAQs from manufacturers

MLnext machine learning icon
Radioline products
Proficloud.io networked points via tablet
MLnext machine learning icon

MLnext features intelligent data analysis and enables the optimization of processes through machine learning. MLnext as an app via the PLCnext Store.

Radioline products

Radioline enables the wireless transmission of I/O signals and serial data over long distances, which is particularly useful in large-scale systems.

Proficloud.io networked points via tablet

Proficloud.io enables the aggregation of real-time data and the development of new business models such as “Products-as-a-Service”.