The Industrial IoT Blog
IIoT Insights by Henry Costa
Tag: OPC UA
An industrial communication standard used to securely exchange data between machines and systems. It provides a common, vendor-neutral way to access and model industrial data.
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Equipment Connectivity: The Unglamorous Work That Makes Everything Possible
Read more: Equipment Connectivity: The Unglamorous Work That Makes Everything PossibleIf you’ve ever walked into a modern factory and seen dashboards glowing with real-time data, robots humming along, or operators using tablets to check production status, you’ve seen the shiny side of smart manufacturing. But behind all that magic, there’s…
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IIoT Vendor Demo vs Reality: What They Don’t Show You
Read more: IIoT Vendor Demo vs Reality: What They Don’t Show YouIf you’ve ever sat through an IIoT vendor demo and thought, “Wow, this looks easy,” you’re not alone. I’ve been in this industry for over two decades, and I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a slick demo only…
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How Big Data, IIoT, and a Unified Namespace Work Together to Unlock Smart Manufacturing
Read more: How Big Data, IIoT, and a Unified Namespace Work Together to Unlock Smart ManufacturingGetting value from smart manufacturing isn’t about chasing the latest tech or buying shiny new machines. It’s about making data flow — from every sensor and PLC to the cloud, and then back to the people who need it. Over…
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What to Keep in Mind When Designing a New IIoT Strategy
Read more: What to Keep in Mind When Designing a New IIoT StrategyIf there’s one thing I’ve learned from two decades in the trenches of manufacturing IT and IIoT, it’s that a good strategy isn’t about chasing the latest technology or ticking off a checklist. It’s about making real improvements—connecting machines, data,…
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Foundations: What Is a PLC in an IIoT Architecture?
Read more: Foundations: What Is a PLC in an IIoT Architecture?Let’s start at the beginning: what’s a PLC, and why does it matter so much in smart factories and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) setups? The Basics: What Is a PLC? A PLC, or Programmable Logic Controller, is basically the…
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Integrating Autonomous AGVs: Lessons from the Field
Read more: Integrating Autonomous AGVs: Lessons from the FieldSome projects stay with you — not just for the technology, but for how they reshape what you think is possible on a shop floor. A few years ago, I was part of a large automotive manufacturing initiative that brought…
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From SCADA to Cloud Analytics: The Evolution of Shop Floor Data I’ve Witnessed
Read more: From SCADA to Cloud Analytics: The Evolution of Shop Floor Data I’ve WitnessedIf you’d told me in 2005 that one day I’d be streaming millions of shop floor data points to the cloud, running AI on them, and visualizing everything in real time from anywhere in the world, I’d have probably laughed.…
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What Vendor Documentation Won’t Tell You About IIoT Integration Complexity
Read more: What Vendor Documentation Won’t Tell You About IIoT Integration ComplexityIf you’ve ever flipped through vendor documentation or attended a software demo, you’d think IIoT is plug-and-play: connect a few devices, map some tags, and watch the dashboards light up. But after two decades living in the trenches — from…
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MQTT or OPC UA? My Real-World Take
Read more: MQTT or OPC UA? My Real-World TakeSo, I’ve lost count of how many times someone’s asked me, “Henry, should I use MQTT or OPC UA for my manufacturing project?” The truth is, I’ve been on both sides of that decision — sometimes sweating over a flaky…
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OPC UA: The Bridge to Smarter Plants
Read more: OPC UA: The Bridge to Smarter PlantsI still remember the first time I tried to connect a brand-new packaging line to our old MES, back in the late 2000s. It was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole: the PLC spoke one…