The manufacturing sector is under unprecedented pressure. Supply chain volatility, soaring energy costs, and a widening skills gap mean that factories must operate leaner and smarter than ever before. To survive, plant managers are turning to Industrial Automation Software – powerful digital platforms designed to streamline production, predict machine failures, and eliminate waste.
However, there is a catch. Even the most sophisticated AI-driven software, whether it is a massive ERP system or a dedicated predictive maintenance dashboard, is completely useless without one thing: Data.
Software cannot optimise a process if it doesn’t know what is happening on the factory floor in real-time. Historically, gathering this data meant spending millions of pounds ripping out old machinery and replacing it with modern, internet-connected equipment. Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) provides a much smarter, highly cost-effective alternative.
At Concept13, we specialise in the “missing link” of industrial automation. We deploy robust LoRaWAN sensor networks that extract vital data from your physical environment and feed it directly into your automation software. If you are looking to digitise your production line, here is how IoT hardware and automation software work together to create the factories of the future.
The Quick Answer
How do IoT and Industrial Automation Software work together? Industrial automation software is the “brain” of a smart factory, while IoT sensors are the “nervous system.”
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The Hardware (IoT): Battery-powered sensors are attached to factory equipment to measure variables like vibration, temperature, pressure, and energy usage.
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The Network (LoRaWAN): This data is transmitted wirelessly through the heavy metal and concrete of the factory to a central gateway.
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The Software: The automation platform receives this data, analyses it, and automatically triggers actions—such as shutting down an overheating motor, adjusting the HVAC system, or automatically ordering a replacement part before a machine breaks.
1. The Power of Retrofitting Legacy Equipment
Walk onto the floor of a typical UK manufacturing plant, and you will likely see heavy machinery that is twenty or thirty years old. These machines are mechanical workhorses, but they are “dumb.” They do not produce data; they just run until they break.
The traditional approach to automation assumed you had to replace these machines with modern, “smart” equivalents. IoT changes the paradigm through retrofitting.
Instead of buying a £2 million new press, you can attach a £100 LoRaWAN vibration and temperature sensor magnetically to the side of your existing machine. Suddenly, a 30-year-old piece of equipment is streaming real-time performance metrics directly into your modern industrial automation software. This allows businesses to achieve Industry 4.0 capabilities at a fraction of the cost, extracting massive value from their existing capital investments.
2. Predictive Maintenance: Ending Reactive Chaos
In a traditional factory, maintenance is either reactive (fixing a machine after it breaks) or preventative (replacing a part every six months, regardless of whether it actually needs replacing). Both approaches are highly inefficient and lead to expensive, unplanned downtime.
When IoT sensors are paired with industrial automation software, you unlock Predictive Maintenance.
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The Sensor’s Job: An acoustic or vibration sensor continuously “listens” to the baseline hum of an industrial motor or gearbox.
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The Software’s Job: The automation software uses machine learning algorithms to analyse this constant stream of data. If a bearing starts to wear out, the vibration signature of the machine will change slightly—often weeks before a human operator could hear or feel it.
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The Automation: The software detects this anomaly and automatically generates a work order in your CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System). It schedules the repair for the next planned shift change, ensuring zero unexpected halts in production.
3. Environmental and Process Automation
Industrial automation software is not just for monitoring heavy machinery; it is also crucial for optimising the factory environment itself, which significantly impacts product quality and worker safety.
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Quality Control: In sectors like food processing, pharmaceuticals, or advanced electronics, ambient temperature and humidity must be strictly controlled. LoRaWAN environmental sensors continuously monitor the factory floor. If a loading bay door is left open and the temperature drops, the automation software can instantly boost the localised heating to protect sensitive inventory.
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Energy Management: Factories are massive energy consumers. By integrating occupancy sensors and smart meters with your automation platform, the software can automatically power down lighting, conveyor belts, and ventilation systems in zones that are currently inactive, slashing your energy bills.
4. Why LoRaWAN is the Backbone of Factory Automation
A major hurdle in industrial automation is connectivity. Factory floors are notoriously hostile environments for wireless signals. They are full of heavy steel structures, electromagnetic interference from massive motors, and thick concrete walls.
If you try to connect your sensors to standard Wi-Fi, the signal will drop constantly, and your automation software will be starved of data. This is why industrial IoT relies almost exclusively on LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network).
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Unmatched Penetration: The sub-gigahertz frequency of LoRaWAN cuts through industrial interference and heavy metal structures with ease, ensuring your data reaches the server without fail.
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Zero Cabling Costs: Because LoRaWAN sensors require incredibly little power, they run on standard batteries for years. You do not need to hire electrical contractors to run expensive power or Ethernet cables to every single machine on your shop floor.
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Total Security: LoRaWAN operates on an isolated, private network with end-to-end AES-128 encryption. Your machine data remains completely separate from your corporate Wi-Fi, protecting your production line from cyber threats.
Conclusion
Industrial automation software holds incredible potential to transform your operations, but it is entirely dependent on the quality and reliability of the data it receives. You cannot automate what you cannot measure.
By deploying a robust, private LoRaWAN network, you can digitise your entire factory floor – from the oldest legacy machines to the ambient environment itself. It bridges the gap between the physical world of manufacturing and the digital world of analytics.
At Concept13, we provide the industrial-grade hardware and network expertise required to bring your automation software to life. We help you extract the data you need to run leaner, safer, and more profitable operations.
