Softing SDEX Suite Simplifies Shopfloor PLC and CNC Data Integration

Detail

Softing Industrial has moved to close that gap with SDEX Suite, a unified connectivity and data integration platform announced for shopfloor environments. The suite targets the most persistent integration pain point in brownfield plants: extracting value from existing controllers without disturbing validated production code.

As manufacturers push into predictive maintenance, AI-based optimization, and real-time MES visibility, the cost of fragmented connectivity has shifted from an IT nuisance to a direct constraint on operational performance.

Modern plants rarely run on a single vendor's automation stack. A typical line may combine Siemens SIMATIC PLCs, Allen-Bradley ControlLogix controllers, FANUC CNC machines, and a layer of Modbus-based legacy equipment. Each speaks a different protocol, and each requires specialist drivers or custom connectors to share data.

The result is a patchwork of point-to-point integrations, duplicated middleware, and rising maintenance burden. When every new MES, ERP, or cloud analytics project needs another connector, integration teams become the limiting factor in digitalization.

SDEX Suite is designed to consolidate these fragmented connections into a single, consistent integration layer. It connects controllers and CNC systems from leading manufacturers and exposes production data through standardized protocols , most notably OPC UA and MQTT.

Crucially, production data can be accessed without modifying control programs. That matters in regulated and validated environments where any change to PLC logic triggers re-validation, risk review, and downtime.

The 'no control program changes' capability is a strategic differentiator. In brownfield automation, read-only access to validated controllers is often the difference between a project that ships in weeks and one that stalls for months in change-control review.