From Closed to Open Automation: A Technical Revolution Toward a Global Industrial Future

From Closed to Open Automation: A Technical Revolution Toward a Global Industrial Future

Open automation, Industry 4.0, and AI are reshaping factories worldwide.

Key technologies: 5G, TSN, edge-cloud collaboration, IEC 61499, OPC UA, and containerized AI inference.

Why Open Automation Matters

Traditional PLC-based black-box control creates data silos, network barriers, and compute bottlenecks.

Software-defined control decouples logic from hardware, enabling flexible manufacturing and faster innovation.

Platforms like Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure EAE platform leverage open standards and multi-vendor ecosystems to accelerate deployment.

How to Build Smart Factories Today

Combine industrial 5G + TSN for deterministic networking with wide-area wireless coverage.

Use cloud-edge orchestration to place AI inference where latency and reliability demand it.

Adopt IEC 61499 and OPC UA to make control and data interoperable across vendors and systems.

Containerize control and ML modules for rapid updates, rollback, and scalable deployments.

Result: lower CapEx, shift to OpEx-driven innovation, broader SME access, and faster time-to-value.

Keywords: open automation, Industry 4.0, EcoStruxure, IEC 61499, OPC UA, 5G, TSN, edge-cloud, AI inference, smart factory.

Call to action: Evaluate your plant's readiness for open automation today — request a demo or download a technical brief to start your digital transformation.

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