Transforming plant floor data into enterprise intelligence

(See Turck Banner at Machine Building North, 13 May 2026, on stand 60)

The potential value of digital transformation of manufacturing operations is not lost on any business, but when you combine the problems of having to work with legacy systems, costs, skills shortages, and the desire to implement new technologies such as AI, projects can quickly grind to a halt.

Indeed, businesses can often find themselves suffering with the challenges of what Jonathan Parr, managing director of manufacturing and operations, Industry X at Accenture, describes as "pilot purgatory".

Noting that many projects get stuck at the proof of concept stage, he adds: "We have to move beyond thinking about proof of concept and start thinking about proof of value. And we have to look digital transformation projects with scalability in mind."

Accenture Industry X focuses on transforming engineering, manufacturing and operations through digital technologies. It helps companies reinvent products, processes and business models through integrating tools like digital twins, AI, robotics and cloud solutions across the value chain. Its core capabilities include intelligent asset management, enabling greater efficiency, resilience, sustainability and new revenue models such as product-as-a-service.

Digital transformation for manufacturing rides on getting data from the plant floor, and contextualising that data so that it can be acted upon. While on greenfield sites it is easy to build systems from the ground up that deliver the required integration from plant floor to the higher-level systems, it's on brownfield sites with their legacy equipment where digital transformation projects frequently struggle. "Historically, IT and OT networks were separate, and that's a problem when you need to connect older assets," says Paar. "But there have been innovations that make that easier for example in getting data direct from plant floor systems to the cloud."

One solution is what Turck Banner managing director Tony Coghlan describes as digital shadowing - piggybacking on existing equipment such as sensors to get straight up to the cloud without having to go through existing OT systems and navigate the OT/IT interface. Leveraging cloud-connected sensors, edge devices and advanced integration capabilities, Turck Banner ensures critical machine and process data flows effortlessly into enterprise systems.

"We're providing the technologies that enable businesses not simply to embrace Industry 4.0, but to see where the real value is in digital transformation," Coghlan says. "To get a full picture of your plant you need more data - actionable data - and we can enable that on legacy systems."

Turck Banner is redefining industrial connectivity by delivering comprehensive, end-to-end turnkey solutions that transform raw shop-floor data into actionable insights for enterprise platforms. "From initial design through full implementation, we provide manufacturers with everything needed to seamlessly bridge the gap between OT and IT," says Coghlan.

The company's holistic approach includes: hardware selection - choosing the optimal devices from as extensive IoT portfolio; functional design specification (FDS - collaborating with customers to define requirements and architecture; turnkey deployment - installing hardware, connectivity and software for a complete solution; data integration - delivering real-time insights to IT platforms using industry-standard protocols such as REST API, MQTT, OPC UA, and other industrial communication standards; and one-stop data collection from sensors to enterprise dashboards.

"Our ability to design, install and integrate systems ensures customers unlock the full potential of their data without complexity, backed by the convenience of a true one-stop shop." says Coghlan. "That's when they start to see the full picture of the plant, and that's where they can start to see the ROI in digital transformation."

Paar adds: "More data gives more visibility on the whole production line. You can start to see where the entirety of the process can be improved, and that's where the longer-term value comes from. And the beauty of this new approach is that there is minimal transformation effort and minimal handling of the data, even when working with legacy assets."