2025

Fortinet’s OT Cybersecurity Summit: Tackling Real-World Threats and Building Resilient Infrastructure
· Cybersecurity

Fortinet’s OT Cybersecurity Summit: Tackling Real-World Threats and Building Resilient Infrastructure

Operational technology environments face a rapidly escalating threat landscape. Ransomware groups now routinely target industrial control systems, and the convergence of IT and OT networks has expanded the attack surface for critical infrastructure operators across energy, manufacturing, water, and transportation. In this IIoT World analysis, we examine the most pressing OT cybersecurity challenges facing plant […]

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Industrial AI Needs a Backbone—And That Backbone Is DataOps
· Discrete Manufacturing

Industrial AI Needs a Backbone—And That Backbone Is DataOps

At Hannover Messe 2025, John Harrington of HighByte offered a timely reminder: as AI races ahead in the industrial sector, the infrastructure supporting it—specifically, DataOps—needs to keep up.While AI dominates the headlines, its power is fundamentally limited without access to the right data. Harrington put it bluntly: “Data is the oxygen for AI.” But not just any data—clean, […]

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AI in Manufacturing Enters Its Third Wave: The Rise of Autonomous Agents
· Artificial Intelligence

AI in Manufacturing Enters Its Third Wave: The Rise of Autonomous Agents

Manufacturing AI is evolving beyond dashboards and predictive alerts into a new paradigm: autonomous agents that can perceive their environment, reason about constraints, and take action without waiting for human approval. This IIoT World explainer maps the three waves of AI adoption in industrial settings. The first wave brought rule-based automation, the second introduced machine […]

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Why Small Manufacturers Can’t Afford to Wait for the “Perfect” Transformation
· Discrete Manufacturing

Why Small Manufacturers Can’t Afford to Wait for the “Perfect” Transformation

At Hannover Messe 2025, the conversation around digital transformation in manufacturing felt more urgent than ever. But amid the excitement, Stephen Graham, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Nexus, offered a grounded reminder: for small and mid-sized manufacturers, the future will not be won by those with the flashiest technology—but by those who learn […]

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[Booklet] Manufacturing at the Crossroads 2025: Real-World Lessons from Industrial Leaders
· Discrete Manufacturing

[Booklet] Manufacturing at the Crossroads 2025: Real-World Lessons from Industrial Leaders

What does it take to make digital transformation stick—beyond pilots, platforms, and buzzwords?At Hannover Messe 2025, the conversation around industrial transformation reached a new level of clarity—and urgency. From AI and agentic automation to modular MES platforms and resilient supply chains, one message was consistent: transformation is no longer a long-term goal. It’s a right-now […]

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From Data-Driven Ambitions to Sensing Factories: A Strategic Path for AI in Manufacturing
· Discrete Manufacturing

From Data-Driven Ambitions to Sensing Factories: A Strategic Path for AI in Manufacturing

Generative AI is no longer a future promise for manufacturers; it is an active force reshaping how factories sense, adapt, and optimize production in real time. In this strategic guide, IIoT World maps the journey from early data-driven ambitions to fully sensing factory environments where generative models autonomously create production schedules, design process improvements, and […]

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Leveraging MQTT Brokers for Scalable Manufacturing Data Exchange
· Discrete Manufacturing

Leveraging MQTT Brokers for Scalable Manufacturing Data Exchange

The ability to efficiently manage and distribute data is critical for modern manufacturing operations. As factories become more digitized, the need for real-time, scalable, and flexible data communication systems has increased. MQTT brokers provide a solution that helps manufacturers streamline industrial IoT (IIoT) data exchange while reducing complexity and improving efficiency.Challenges in Industrial Data CommunicationManufacturing environments consist […]

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Why Software-Defined Automation Is the Key to Industrial Progress
· Discrete Manufacturing

Why Software-Defined Automation Is the Key to Industrial Progress

As the conversation shifts from Industry 4.0 to 5.0, one problem remains unsolved: most industrial environments are running on legacy infrastructure. Machines last decades. Control systems are often 30 years old. But the demands placed on manufacturing—greater flexibility, lower emissions, workforce shortages—are growing quickly.The question isn’t whether the technology exists. It’s how to implement change […]

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AI at the Edge of the Factory Floor: What’s Real, What’s Next
· Discrete Manufacturing

AI at the Edge of the Factory Floor: What’s Real, What’s Next

Industrial AI is rapidly shifting from pilot programs to production-grade deployments, and the factory edge is where that shift matters most. In this guide, IIoT World examines the current state of AI at the edge of the factory floor, separating proven use cases from emerging concepts still in validation. You will learn which edge AI […]

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How Data is Rebuilding Manufacturing from the Edge Up
· Discrete Manufacturing

How Data is Rebuilding Manufacturing from the Edge Up

The factory of the future is not being built from the cloud down; it is being rebuilt from the edge up. In this article, IIoT World explores how modern edge data architectures are fundamentally changing manufacturing operations by enabling real-time analytics, energy optimization, and predictive maintenance at the point of production. Rather than routing every […]

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Industrial Transformation Demands More Than Technology—It Requires a Strategic Shift
· Discrete Manufacturing

Industrial Transformation Demands More Than Technology—It Requires a Strategic Shift

The manufacturing industry is at a pivotal inflection point. Amid growing complexity—geopolitical volatility, labor shortages, and a wave of technological disruption—many manufacturers are rethinking not just their systems, but their entire approach to transformation. What’s becoming increasingly clear is that technology alone isn’t enough. The companies that will thrive are those that can match innovation with […]

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From Complexity to Control: Why Smart MES is the Backbone of Modern Manufacturing
· Discrete Manufacturing

From Complexity to Control: Why Smart MES is the Backbone of Modern Manufacturing

At Hannover Messe 2025, there’s one term on everyone’s lips: AI. But amidst the noise, Francisco Almada Lobo brings a clear, strategic voice to the table—cutting through the hype to highlight what actually matters in manufacturing today: control, visibility, and preparedness.For manufacturers navigating rising product complexity, volatile supply chains, and increased customization demands, the pressure […]

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