by Gary Mintchell | Jan 5, 2026 | Industrial Computers, Networking, Technology, Wireless
I have shunned new year predictions for the entire time I’ve been writing about technology and manufacturing. As has been said (attributed to physicist Niels Bohr and philosopher Yogi Berra), predictions are hard, especially about the future.
Usually these reflect either wishful thinking about the future or recognition of trends that may play out.
Marketing guru Seth Godin noted, “The Paradox of ‘On Trend’—By the time you get around to embracing the fashion of the moment, it’s almost certainly too late. The leading edge is defined by the fact that most of us aren’t on it.”
However, I have chosen to highlight two sets of predictions that came my way late last year. One is from Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing (OWC); the other from Michael Weller, Practice Leader for Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities at Verizon Business.
OWC makes high performance compute and networking equipment mostly targeted to markets not ours. The Verizon release was a bit surprising. I do think about networks. Usually not from the major carriers.
Their thoughts and my thoughts. Enjoy.
I looked at these OWC compute predictions mostly because I think that these have been happening. I don’t know to what degree adoption will occur, but it will be interesting.
2026 Prediction 1: On-Prem Comes Back, Not as a Rebellion Against Cloud, but as the Sensible Default for Performance, Cost, and Control.
“In 2026, more teams are going to rediscover the joy of having their data and workflows close to where the work actually happens. Not because the cloud is bad. The cloud is a great tool. It is just not the right answer for everything, especially when you are talking about performance, predictable costs, and keeping control of your own data.
It is easy to move a workflow up into the cloud, and then you wake up one day and realize you are paying for every little thing, and you are also at the mercy of a lot of services you cannot fix or influence. If your internet is flaky, or the provider has an outage, or you get hit with egress costs at the exact moment you need your data, that is not a strategy. That is a hope. In 2026, the smart shops will keep cloud as redundancy and reach, but they will rebuild the core on-prem so they can get their job done with less drama.”
I saw this play out last year by the company called 37 Signals. They looked at their monthly bills and decided their was a better way.
2026 Prediction 2: The Real Differentiator Will Be ‘Boring’ Infrastructure: High Performance Tech That Disappears into the Workflow.
“I think 2026 is the year more people stop buying ‘fancy numbers’ and start buying results. Everybody can show a chart. Everybody can promise the sky. But in the real world, what matters is whether the product is low overhead, dependable, and actually makes your day easier. The best compliment we can get is that someone forgets we are there, because they are too busy getting real work done.
More buyers are going to get tired of the enterprise pattern where you buy the thing, and then you learn you need ten other modules, another server, and a pile of add-ons to get what you thought you already purchased. That is not delight. That is aggravation. In 2026, the winners are going to be the companies that show up, evaluate the environment honestly, and deliver what the customer actually needs, with the least amount of fuss. Under promise. Over deliver. And make it work in the real workflow, not just in a lab.”
The real question—when will the big AI players realize this.
2026 Prediction 3: AI Becomes a Creative Partner – but the Creativity Remains Human.
“AI finally settles into its proper role for creatives, in 2026. It stops trying to be the artist and starts becoming the best assistant a cinematographer, editor, or photographer has ever had. The true creative spark still lives with the human, not in the machine. You can’t automate taste, timing, instinct, and storytelling. What AI can do is clear the runway so creators can spend more time making decisions that actually matter.
Those that rethink where AI lives in the workflow will be the teams that get this right. Instead of pushing raw footage and unreleased work into distant clouds, they will bring AI closer to the media and closer to the creator. When AI runs next to your storage, things happen at the speed of thought. You can test an idea, throw it away, try another, and never break your flow. That immediacy changes how people create. In 2026, the most successful creative teams will not be the ones chasing the biggest models. They will be the ones who build infrastructure that keeps humans in control, keeps their content private, and lets AI quietly do the heavy lifting in the background while the creativity stays exactly where it belongs.”
I think AI and AgenticAI have been way over-hyped. On the one hand, AI has been embedded in much technology we already use. Industrial companies are embedding Microsoft Copilot. We’ll see continued searching for ways to use it as a tool to help workers do a better job.
Where I pick at OWC’s comments a little, I think Michael Weller is a bit optimistic. Check his thoughts. As I just wrote above about AI, don’t buy the hype.
AI moves from paralysis to production: “Many manufacturers are worried about AI, and uncertain where to put compute power. Next year brings breakthrough deployments focused on computer vision for quality control and AI ‘shells’ that wrap legacy systems in protective security layers. This finally moving innovation ‘out of the drawer.'”
He should say that manufacturing executives are worried about AI. The hype has consumed so much media space, that they feel they must tell the board they’re working on it.
Factories will embrace visual technology in a larger way: “Manufacturing floors will become highly visual environments, driven by computer vision, digital twins, AR/VR headsets, and gamification. Humans learn visually far more effectively than through text, and visual content. From just-in-time training videos to 3D schematics, visual environments will transform worker engagement and productivity.”
I’m not with him here. I’ve tried out the headsets for 10 years. There are selected places (training?) where there is a bona fide use case. If Zuckerberg is dropping the metaverse from Meta, I’d take a hint.
Connected worker technologies will deliver on their promise: “After years of hype, 2026 is when connected worker technologies prove their value on the factory floor. Wireless-enabled tools – especially mobile equipment – finally deliver on promises of improved safety, real-time asset tracking, and operational flexibility. Manufacturers are realizing they can modernize without extensive infrastructure overhauls.”
This is the one I expected from Verizon. We’ve been through the 5G hype. Not sure what wireless he’s promoting, but actually workers have had mobile tools for a decade. And, I expect to see evolving applications.
Increased importance of wireless tech as a sustainability achievement: “Beyond operational benefits, eliminating copper cabling and reducing network power consumption represents measurable environmental progress they can actually quantify. The math is compelling: a single cellular antenna can displace 3-10 Wi-Fi access points, significantly reducing energy needs across large facilities.”
Cellular in place of WiFi? The jury is still out.
Click on the Follow button at the bottom of the page to subscribe to a weekly email update of posts. Click on the mail icon to subscribe to additional email thoughts.
by Gary Mintchell | Nov 10, 2025 | Automation, Commentary, Networking, Technology, Wireless
This is the weirdest press release I’ve received in a while. It appears that Pepperl + Fuchs needed to remind people it is still in the game. The company hasn’t updated me in years. I’ve known it mostly as a sensor manufacturer. This update concerns mobile devices, a market that companies such as this have pursued. Almost no one talks about augmented reality these days aside from speculation that Apple may move that way following the tepid acceptance of its virtual reality headset.
The release is obviously a marketing piece, but it provides observations useful to us all.
Hazardous areas
The digitalization of processes in hazardous areas places high demands on explosion protection. All infrastructure components used in these areas must be intrinsically safe or explosion-proof and certified. The Pepperl+Fuchs Group, a pioneer in the field of mobile devices for hazardous areas, meets these requirements with a comprehensive portfolio of certified solutions, from smartphones, tablets, and HMI systems to intrinsically safe barriers and remote I/O systems to Ethernet APL technology and sensor technology in hazardous areas.
As promised, news about augmented reality. This part of the story discusses virtues of AR without mentioning any P+F products. AR does hold promise, especially when companies need to bring in new employees who, of course, will not have had extensive experience.
Augmented reality (AR) offers enormous potential at device level for digitalizing processes. With the help of this technology, information can be brought directly into the field of vision and display of employees in real time and presented in a spatially and context-sensitive manner.
AR therefore offers particularly great potential for complex tasks such as shutdown work, commissioning, or fault diagnosis in areas that are difficult to access. The technology is also ideal for training and qualifying new employees, for example in practical on-the-job training with AR-supported instructions or via remote support. In addition, AR overlays can be linked to digital twins of assets to simulate scenarios. This integration significantly improves the basis for decision-making, increases efficiency, and ensures safe plant operation.
P+F touts 5G technology for communications. I’ve written about the hope of 5G for a few years. Only in the past few months has there been a successful use case presented to me using many of the anticipated benefits.
In addition to the necessary bandwidth, 5G also provides the low latency required to transmit AR content in real time and integrate it seamlessly. On site, technicians receive context-sensitive instructions, overlay markings on components, and live data such as sensor values or histories directly in their field of vision. At the same time, they can request support or instructions from remote experts at any time, who can be easily connected.
This shifts maintenance processes more toward just-in-time assistance, reducing errors and increasing first-time fix rates. Planning is shifting organizationally toward data- and event-driven workflows, for example, when predictive maintenance alerts automatically trigger AR checklists. An integrative approach is crucial here. AR and 5G are not isolated solutions. They must be seamlessly connected to CMMS/ERP systems, asset digital twins, and role and rights models.
Android Apps
Customers also benefit from the fact that Pepperl+Fuchs mobile devices are part of the Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program. This guarantees consistent, easy deployment and management of mobile solutions through hardware and operating system support, as well as guaranteed security and operating system updates. The Samsung Knox mobile security solution also ensures a high level of device and data security for companies.
Connected workers—highly networked into the future. Summary.
Intrinsically safe tablets and smartphones already serve as digital and networked hubs for connected workers. They enable authentication, collect sensor data, and bundle a wide variety of communication channels. They also allow for the seamless integration of mobile scanners, IoT gateways, or communication peripherals such as headsets. This makes them a central component for safe, efficient, and networked work processes in hazardous areas.
In the future, platforms for “digital shift operation” will emerge that digitally map handover protocols, know-how transfers, shift handovers, and shift KPIs, thus enabling comprehensive shift digitalization. Step by step, the connected worker is evolving into a highly networked, smart-supported employee who can access and respond to all relevant information, analysis tools, and expert knowledge securely and context-sensitively in real time at any time.
“As a pioneer, Pepperl+Fuchs is continuously working on developing intuitive solutions to optimally connect people in industrial environments, simplify work processes, and sustainably increase efficiency,” says Christopher Limbrunner, Team Lead Product Management of the Enterprise Mobility division at Pepperl+Fuchs. “In addition to providing the right hardware, we also support our customers in the holistic planning and implementation of the necessary infrastructure. They benefit from our many years of expertise and a global support and service network. This ensures that applications are not only compliant and reliable, but also efficient and future oriented.”
Click on the Follow button at the bottom of the page to subscribe to a weekly email update of posts. Click on the mail icon to subscribe to additional email thoughts.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 7, 2025 | Edge, Networking, News
The post before this one looked at a survey done on usage of private 5G and edge networks. This news looks at a test bed in Switzerland to allow startups and nonprofits to try out a network without incurring infrastructure costs. Like most test beds, the work strives to encourage innovation within an ecosystem. This one focusing on energy, mobility, health, and manufacturing.
Nokia, together with Datwyler IT Infra, Intel, and the Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne (SIPBB), unveiled a pioneering hub for startups and nonprofits to accelerate industrial digitalization through advanced private 5G and AI-powered edge solutions. This initiative will drive breakthrough innovations in efficiency, safety, and sustainability across key industries such as health, mobility, energy, and manufacturing.
At SIPBB, innovators will have access to a full-scale deployment environment offering private 5G connectivity. The infrastructure includes Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) private wireless networks, MX Industrial Edge (MXIE), and future-ready applications such as Nokia MX Workmate, the industry’s first OT-compliant Gen AI solution for connected workers. These technologies, alongside Intel Xeon Scalable processors and edge AI capabilities, such as visual positioning and object detection, provide a real-world testbed open to nonprofit research and startup collaboration without the usual cost or deployment challenges.
The new trial site enables several industrial use cases, including predictive maintenance powered by real-time analytics to minimize downtime and material waste, push-to-talk and video communication tools to keep teams connected without on-site travel, and AI-enhanced safety monitoring to improve situational awareness and worker safety. Energy-efficient automation ensures consistent productivity with reduced environmental impact. Additionally, the site features natural human-machine interaction through Gen AI-driven digital assistants, allowing workers to communicate with machines using intuitive, conversational language.
Click on the Follow button at the bottom of the page to subscribe to a weekly email update of posts. Click on the mail icon to subscribe to additional email thoughts.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 7, 2025 | Edge, Networking
Conflicting reports have come my way regarding how private wireless, especially 5G, have penetrated manufacturing sites and how useful they have been coordinating with edge devices. Nokia have release the results of a study completed with GlobalData. The study reveals surge of ROI and AI-enabled use cases with on-premise edge and private wireless.
In brief
- 87% of enterprises adopting private wireless and on-premise edge saw ROI in one year.
- 81% of enterprises found setup costs lower than other options and 86% reported reduced ongoing costs.
- 94% of industrial enterprises deployed edge with private wireless that support AI-driven applications in 70% of the cases.
- 94% of industries reduced carbon emissions—41% by over 20%—and 89% reported energy savings.
The report draws on insights from 115 industrial enterprises across manufacturing, energy, logistics, mining, and transportation in Australia, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States.
David de Lancellotti, Vice President of Enterprise Campus Edge Sales at Nokia, says: “Nokia and Global Data’s latest research helps leaders build strong business cases for digitalization by showing how private wireless and on-premise edge not only reduce costs but also accelerate scalable transformation with measurable improvements in worker safety, productivity, security and environmental impact.”
AI’s potential in industrial settings hinges on access to high-quality, real-time data; 94% of industrial enterprises have deployed on-premise edge technology alongside private wireless. This combination enables secure, low-latency connectivity in complex environments and pervasive sensor coverage, even in hard-to-reach areas, supporting AI-driven use cases like predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and digital twins in 70% of surveyed enterprises.
BASF, a leading chemical company, deployed Nokia private wireless at its Antwerp facility to advance its digitalization strategy and enable reliable, high-performance connectivity across its six-square-kilometer premises. The private network supports AI- and sensor-driven use cases like real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, enhances automation and efficiency, improves worker safety, and reduces environmental impact.
Steven Werbrouck, Expert Network Connectivity at BASF, says: Private 5G has been a game changer for BASF Antwerp. We’re unlocking automation, strengthening occupational safety, accelerating innovation, and meeting ROI targets in just two years. We have become a front-runner for the wider group with learnings that will deliver value at multiple BASF group locations.”
Click on the Follow button at the bottom of the page to subscribe to a weekly email update of posts. Click on the mail icon to subscribe to additional email thoughts.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 12, 2025 | Networking
I received this item from Endress+Hauser regarding Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (APL). Companies have been working on this standard for some time. Appears to be ready for prime time according to this testing.
Ethernet-APL has moved beyond readiness. The instrumentation manufacturer Endress+Hauser successfully conducted another set of load tests of a realistic PROFINET over Ethernet-APL setup. Two years after the last successful multi-vendor tests, the technology has proven its strength again in a realistic simulation.
The load tests were tailored to meet customer-specific requirements, demonstrating that components from various manufacturers can seamlessly work together to build a robust and reliable system based on PROFINET over Ethernet-APL. Requirements were defined from the end-user perspective by the global chemical company BASF. On the supplier side, devices from Endress+Hauser, Pepperl+Fuchs, R. Stahl, Phoenix Contact, and Samson were integrated into an Emerson control system and their interoperability was confirmed.
Ethernet-APL proves consistently high performance
Two years after the first set of successful tests with other automation systems, Emerson DeltaV was in scope of the mass load test with nearly 240 Endress+Hauser measuring devices, including flow, pressure, temperature and level sensors, as well as positioners from Samson. They were tested in a ring topology consisting of Ethernet-APL field switches from Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact and R. Stahl. Emerson provided the control system DeltaV DCS including PROFINET System Redundancy (S2) support as well as the AMS Device Manager System.
The results spoke for themselves: Ethernet-APL performs reliably under full-scale conditions. The test scenarios on a network with the maximum number of devices successfully verified both, performance and reliability with the Pepperl+Fuchs switches. Key performance metrics – such as total net load and redundancy switchover times – met and even surpassed the required standards.
The field switches from Phoenix Contact were subsequently subjected to similar tests and were able to demonstrate their performance. The pre-series switches from R. Stahl were tested as well and based on the valuable results, the optimized devices will be now available for the market launch.
Gerd Niedermayer, Senior Expert Emerging Automation Technologies at BASF extends his gratitude: “Thank you to Endress+Hauser for the opportunity to conduct the scalability tests with our PROFINET-APL partners. With the help of their digital field devices, we are able to optimize diverse topics centering around engineering, commissioning and lifecycle in BASF plants and save CAPEX and OPEX costs.”
A technology with a bright future ahead
“With the success of the recent scalability test, the cooperating companies have again proven that the multi-vendor infrastructure is open, future-proof and ready for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)”, emphasizes Harald Müller, technical lead of Ethernet-APL and director technology at Endress+Hauser Temperature+System Products. This gives planners and end users further evidence that Ethernet-APL is an enabler to create more flexible, efficient and cost-effective industrial automation systems, leveraging the full scale of benefits through digitalization.
Karl Büttner, expert product manager system integration and marketing lead of Ethernet-APL at Endress+Hauser Flow, is proud and excited about the proven success of this technology: “Since 2023 we provide instrumentation for Ethernet-APL projects worldwide. Endress+Hauser is pleased with the successful launch of the technology, which helps our customers to digitalize their process plants.”
Endress+Hauser’s PROFINET support for Netilion is an additional step to support the Ethernet-based communication. It ensures remote access for example to process values and health diagnostics for all native and PROFINET-APL devices, ensuring high plant availability.
Ethernet-APL, already backed by a wide ecosystem, sees even more devices and manufacturers coming on board. The high market demand and worldwide successful implementations in the first medium-sized and large projects prove that Ethernet-based field communication in process automation has a bright future.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 7, 2025 | Networking, Wireless
I told Mehmet Yavuz, co-founder and CTO of Celona, that my contacts on LinkedIn had been discussing how 5G private networks had been a non-starter. And he was supposed to explain to me the benefits of a new private 5G solution.
He did.
The Celona solution, in brief, eliminates the cost and complexity of a cellular server-based private network. The Celona solution is an access point, similar to your WiFi access point, that plugs into the existing network switch. Think—5G field devices—>access point—>separate carrier from data—>data flows through existing network through a switch.
I like the idea. Since I can’t play with it, I can’t vouch for things like reliability. But to me a slimmer network approach should yield better performance.
From the press release:
Breakthrough architecture eliminates deployment complexity—without compromising security, performance or control
Yavuz explained that the company leadership came from a mix of cellular and industrial networking backgrounds. That shows in the structure of the solution.
Celona announced the launch and immediate availability of AerFlex—the industry’s first cloud-controlled, access point (AP)-only private 5G solution. Purpose-built to simplify and accelerate enterprise adoption, AerFlex eliminates the need for on-site servers and complex integrations, making it dramatically easier and more cost-effective to deploy high-performance, secure wireless networks. With Celona AerFlex, enterprises of all sizes can now leverage private 5G to unlock the full potential of industrial intelligence—empowering advanced automation, real-time decision-making and physical AI use cases.
No press release these days can avoid mentioning AI.
As AI-driven operations gain momentum across industrial sectors, the demand for reliable, high-performance wireless connectivity is accelerating. Private 5G is rapidly emerging as the preferred solution in environments such as refineries, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and mining operations—where traditional Wi-Fi often falls short.
With its game-changing architecture and cloud-native design, Celona AerFlex is the ideal foundation for industrial AI. By combining simplicity, speed and security in a fully integrated platform, AerFlex sets a new standard for enterprise connectivity—enabling faster deployments, lower total cost of ownership and unmatched operational agility.
Beta customer testamonial.
Celona beta customer Cargill, a global leader in food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services, is testing Celona AerFlex to connect 20 satellite offices with its warehousing operations to streamline manufacturing processes, improve supply chain efficiency and automate forklifts used on its warehouse floor.
“Cargill operates over a thousand locations worldwide, many in remote or space-constrained environments where traditional infrastructure just doesn’t work,” said Robert Greiner, Director Platform Engineering for Customer, Commercial & Business Operations Digital Technology at Cargill. “Celona AerFlex gives us a secure, scalable private 5G solution that supports the growing role of AI and automation across our operations. Its innovative design and cloud-based management simplify deployment by eliminating the need for dedicated IT personnel at each location.”
Celona AerFlex is redefining private 5G by eliminating the complexity of traditional deployments. With an AP-only architecture, secure local data breakout, and cloud-based orchestration, AerFlex enables rapid rollouts—often in hours, not weeks. With its cloud-based control, AerFlex delivers centralized orchestration, built-in resiliency and scalability.
Unlike legacy telco solutions that retrofit complex infrastructure for enterprise use—or fragmented small cell systems that require multi-vendor integration—Celona AerFlex introduces a fundamentally different approach. By intelligently splitting network functions between Celona access points and the cloud and leveraging CelonaOS—the industry’s only unified private 5G operating system—AerFlex delivers seamless integration across radio, core and AI-powered management.
“Celona AerFlex marks a major leap forward in making private 5G truly accessible and operationally efficient for enterprises of all sizes,” said Rajeev Shah, CEO and co-founder of Celona. “By combining innovation with radical simplicity, we’re removing the traditional barriers to private 5G adoption—enabling more organizations to harness its performance, reliability, and security at a time when AI is transforming every industry.”
