Smart control systems and devices that communicate through industrial protocols have revolutionized how industrial producers understand and improve their operations. However, the true potential of smart manufacturing remains largely untapped because the transformative change lies at the software level, not the controller level.
Software applications capable of analyzing and acting on the vast, often unused metadata—referred to as dark data—embedded in production devices can significantly enhance production capabilities. This dark data, typically hidden within device firmware, holds the key to advanced predictive maintenance, intelligent machines that self-configure for new tasks and comprehensive insights into plant performance.
Industry organizations like the OPC Foundation and ODVA are pivotal in making dark data accessible through structured, human-readable models via protocols like EtherNet/IP and the OPC UA information modeling framework. These efforts will enable the development of innovative software applications that can operate across multi-vendor environments.
Currently, AI-powered tools can monitor production assets and alert maintenance teams to performance deviations, but such applications are limited to single-vendor technologies. By making devices self-describing and controlling the exposure of proprietary information, initiatives like OPC UA will allow software to connect to diverse control and automation devices, providing larger datasets that include both process data and extensive dark data.
