Reaching the Peak: Unlocking Full Potential

Once your systems are connected and your data is flowing, the smart manufacturing journey doesn’t end – it evolves. Even with a unified platform in place, there’s still plenty of altitude to gain. Modern tools don’t just optimise what you already do; they redefine what’s possible across your operations.

In this final stretch of the climb, the focus shifts from visibility and control to automation, orchestration, and agility. This is where manufacturers turn connected plants into truly intelligent operations.

From Connected to Orchestrated: Plex MES Automation and Orchestration

A unified data platform is a powerful foundation, but it’s orchestration that helps you reach the summit.

Plex MES Automation and Orchestration leverages cutting-edge technology to:

• Connect machines, systems, and workflows in a coordinated way

• Provide unprecedented transparency and control across the plant floor

• Reduce manual interventions and repetitive tasks

• Ensure that the right data, material, and instructions reach the right place at the right time

With intuitive low-code integration, your team can customise workflows and achieve seamless automation across the plant floor. This lets you:

• Quickly integrate new equipment or lines

• Standardise best-practice workflows across sites

• Respond faster to customer and market changes

• Scale improvements without starting from scratch each time

The result? A plant where machines, systems, and people are orchestrated, not just connected – moving in sync towards common KPIs and business goals.

Low-Code Integration: Making Advanced Automation Accessible

Traditional integration projects can be complex, slow, and expensive. Low-code tools change that.

By using visual interfaces and pre-built connectors, low-code integration allows:

• Faster deployment of new automations and integrations

• Business and process experts to co-create solutions with IT

• Easier maintenance and updates as your processes evolve

Instead of long development cycles, you get shorter, iterative changes that can be tested, refined, and rolled out quickly. For manufacturers under pressure to do more with less, this is a key advantage:

• You reduce dependency on scarce specialist resources

• You shorten the time from idea to production

• You keep your digital roadmap moving, even as requirements shift

This is central to reaching the “peak” of smart manufacturing: technology that empowers your teams rather than slowing them down.

Gear Up for Your Digital Climb

Even as tools advance, many manufacturers feel like they’re still at base camp. According to Rockwell Automation’s 10th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing report, a significant number of leaders feel they’re falling behind technologically compared to the previous year.

If you’re exploring new solutions but feel unsure about the right path forward, you’re not alone. Common challenges include:

• Knowing where to start without disrupting production

• Aligning IT, OT, and leadership around a single roadmap

• Proving ROI on digital projects

• Finding trusted partners who understand both technology and manufacturing

The good news? You don’t have to climb the mountain in one push – and you don’t have to climb it alone.

Learn from Real-World Smart Manufacturing Projects

One of the most effective ways to de-risk your own roadmap is to learn from others who’ve already tackled similar climbs.

By exploring a case study library of smart manufacturing projects, you can see how manufacturers like you have:

• Used real-time monitoring to get quick wins

• Implemented MES to standardise and stabilise production

• Leveraged automation and orchestration to remove bottlenecks

• Integrated ERP and plant systems to create a single source of truth

Whether you’re just beginning your smart manufacturing journey or looking for advanced, integrated solutions, seeing real-world examples can help you:

• Clarify what’s possible

• Set realistic timelines and targets

• Build stronger business cases for investment

• Choose the right next step, not just the “flashiest” technology

Partnering with Staro for Your Next Ascent

Every plant, team, and technology stack is different—but the goal is the same: safer, more efficient, data-driven operations.

Staro Process Control can help you:

• Assess where you are on the smart manufacturing mountain

• Prioritise projects that deliver fast, measurable value

• Leverage platforms like Plex MES Automation and Orchestration effectively

• Align your OT systems with broader business and IT objectives

Ready to gear up for your next climb?
Speak to Staro Process Control about building a practical, staged roadmap that takes you from connected data to orchestrated, autonomous operations—at a pace that fits your plant.

You can read the original article here: You Can’t Climb the Whole Mountain at Once

CREDIT

Michael Hart, Sr. Director,

Product Management, Rockwell Automation.

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