What is industrial automation?
Industrial automation is the collection of technologies, systems and processes used to automatically control and monitor machines, production lines and installations, with the aim of improving efficiency, safety, quality and continuity. Manual actions are replaced by control through PLCs, SCADA, DCS, sensors, actuators and software. The operator does not disappear but shifts from switching things by hand to supervising and adjusting the process. Industrial automation is the foundation of OT and therefore of OT convergence.
🧠 What does industrial automation do?
Every automated system follows the same cycle: measure, decide, act. A sensor measures a process value, a controller compares it with a desired value (the setpoint) and an actuator corrects the process. This happens in a control loop, often with a PID controller, and repeats tens to thousands of times per second.
On top of that come functions that do not control the process directly but are just as essential:
- Control — sequences, interlocks and control loops running in real time
- Monitoring and alarming — flagging deviations before they turn into failures
- Visualisation — operators see the state of the process through an HMI or SCADA system
- Recording — measured values are stored in a historian for analysis and reporting
- Safety — a separate SIS intervenes automatically when the process becomes hazardous
🕰️ How did industrial automation develop?
Until the late 1960s, machines were controlled with hard-wired relay logic: cabinets full of relays, timers and wiring. Every change meant rewiring. The arrival of programmable controllers changed that fundamentally.
| Period | Milestone | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1968 | Relay logic and pneumatic controllers | Control logic fixed in wiring |
| 1968 | Modicon 084 by Bedford Associates for General Motors | First PLC: logic becomes software |
| 1975 | Honeywell TDC 2000 and Yokogawa CENTUM | First DCS platforms for the process industry |
| 1979 | Modbus by Modicon | First widely used open industrial protocol |
| 1980s–1990s | Profibus (1989), IEC 61131-3 (1993), PC-based SCADA | Standardisation of fieldbuses and programming languages |
| 2000s | Industrial Ethernet, OPC UA (2008) | Standard networks and platform-independent data exchange |
| 2011 | Industry 4.0 introduced at Hannover Messe | Production connected to the internet, data and the cloud |
In the Netherlands, the Smart Industry programme started in 2014, an initiative of organisations including FME, TNO, VNO-NCW, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, with fieldlabs in which companies test new automation technology in practice.
🔄 What are the levels of the automation pyramid?
The automation pyramid divides industrial automation into layers. The international standard ISA-95 (IEC 62264) defines five levels, each with its own timescale. This structure goes back to the Purdue Model of the early 1990s, which is also the basis for network segmentation in OT environments.
| Level | Function | Examples | Timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 — Business planning | Planning, purchasing, logistics | ERP | Months to days |
| 3 — Manufacturing operations | Orders, quality, traceability | MES, MOMS, WMS | Days to seconds |
| 2 — Supervision | Monitoring and adjusting | SCADA, HMI, historian | Minutes to seconds |
| 1 — Control | Controlling and switching | PLC, DCS, PID controllers, IO | Milliseconds |
| 0 — Process | Measuring and moving | Sensor, Actuator, field instruments | Continuous |
Modern architectures are flattening the pyramid: data flows through edge computing and publish/subscribe models straight to the applications that need it, while control itself stays local.
🔧 Which components make up an automation system?
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Sensor | Measures process values such as temperature, pressure, level, flow or position |
| Actuator | Drives the physical process: motor, valve, pump or cylinder |
| IO / Remote IO | Connects field components to the control system, locally or distributed in the field |
| PLC | Real-time control of machines and processes, programmed according to IEC 61131-3 |
| DCS | Integrated control of large continuous processes, with a single engineering environment |
| HMI | Operator interface at the machine or in the control room |
| SCADA | Supervision, visualisation and data acquisition across several installations or sites |
| SIS | Independent safety system that brings the process to a safe state |
| MES | Links production to orders, quality and planning |
The SIS is deliberately kept separate from normal control. It is designed to a specific Safety Integrity Level (SIL) according to IEC 61508 and IEC 61511, so that it intervenes reliably when the regular control system fails.
🏭 What is the difference between discrete, batch and process automation?
The way you automate depends strongly on the type of production. The wiki covers these types in detail in Discrete, Batch and Continuous Processes.
- Discrete automation — production of individual items such as cars, electronics or packaging. Typical are PLCs, motion control, robotics and fast networks such as EtherCAT or PROFINET.
- Batch automation — production in lots according to a recipe, as in pharmaceuticals, food and speciality chemicals. The ISA-88 standard describes how recipes and equipment are modelled.
- Process automation — continuous processes that run day and night, such as refineries, chemicals, energy and water treatment. This is where the DCS dominates.
Outside the factory, the same technology is used in building automation (HVAC, lighting, access), energy and utilities (water, electricity, gas) and logistics (sorting systems, conveyors and robots, directed by a WMS).
🌐 How do automation systems communicate?
Communication in industrial automation is layered. At field level, many analogue 4-20 mA signals are still in use, often with HART as a digital addition. Above that sit fieldbuses such as Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus, which are increasingly being replaced by Industrial Ethernet protocols such as PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT and Modbus TCP.
For data exchange between systems and vendors, OPC UA (IEC 62541) is the most important standard: it combines transport, an information model and built-in security. MQTT is mainly used to send data to edge and cloud platforms. Newer technologies such as Ethernet-APL bring Ethernet all the way into the field in the process industry, and TSN enables deterministic traffic over standard Ethernet.
🎯 What are the benefits of industrial automation?
- Efficiency and capacity — machines run faster and longer with less downtime; OEE makes the gain measurable
- Consistent quality — repeatable processes and continuous monitoring reduce variation
- Safety — people spend less time in hazardous areas, and an SIS protects against accidents
- Lower costs — less manual work, less waste and lower energy consumption
- Real-time data — the basis for optimisation, reporting and traceability
These benefits come with risks. Automation makes a company dependent on systems that often stay in service for 15 to 25 years, makes knowledge of ageing platforms scarce and can bring all production to a halt when something fails. The biggest new risk is cyber threats: the more installations are connected to networks, the larger the attack surface.
🔐 How do you secure automated installations?
Attacks such as Stuxnet (2010) on uranium centrifuges and TRITON (2017) on a safety system in a petrochemical plant showed that cybersecurity in automation has direct consequences for physical safety. The IEC 62443 series is the international framework for securing industrial automation and control systems. Key measures are:
- Network segmentation into zones and conduits, separated from the office network
- Asset inventory — knowing which PLCs, HMIs and firmware versions you have
- Limited and controlled remote access for vendors and service engineers
- Monitoring of the OT network for anomalous traffic
- Backups of PLC programs and configurations and a tested recovery plan
Legislation is moving too. In the Netherlands, the Cyberbeveiligingswet, the Dutch implementation of NIS2, has been in force since 15 August 2026. The Cyber Resilience Act sets requirements for products with digital elements, with reporting obligations from 11 September 2026 and full application from 11 December 2027. The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027 and explicitly requires machine builders to protect control software against corruption.
🤖 Which trends are changing industrial automation?
- Industrial Internet of Things and Smart Industry — smart sensors and devices that publish their own data
- Edge Computing — analysis close to the machine, without depending on the cloud for control
- Digital Twin — virtual models for simulation, virtual commissioning and optimisation
- AI and predictive maintenance — historian data predicts failures before they happen
- Modular process plants — Module Type Package (VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658, being standardised internationally as IEC 63280) makes process modules plug-and-produce
- Open control systems — Open Process Automation with The Open Group’s O-PAS standard aims to break vendor lock-in for the DCS
- Robotisation — according to the International Federation of Robotics, 542,000 industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2024, more than twice as many as ten years earlier
🧭 How do you approach an automation project?
An automation project succeeds when technology, process and organisation are designed together. A proven approach:
- Map the process — which steps, variations and bottlenecks are there? Measure the current OEE as a baseline.
- Define requirements — functional (what must the system do), but also availability, safety and security according to IEC 62443.
- Choose the architecture — PLC or DCS, central or remote IO, and how the system connects to MES and ERP following ISA-95.
- Carry out a risk assessment — both for machine safety (CE marking) and for cybersecurity.
- Test in advance — with a Factory Acceptance Test and, where possible, virtual commissioning using a digital twin.
- Secure operations and maintenance — documentation, backups, patch policy, spare parts and operator training.
Typical lifetimes are an important design factor: in the process industry a PLC or DCS often stays in service for 15 to 25 years, whereas a PC-based SCADA or HMI station needs replacing after 5 to 7 years. Plan from the start how you will migrate without long downtime.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between industrial automation and process automation?
Industrial automation is the umbrella term for automatically controlling machines and installations in every sector. Process automation is a subfield that focuses on continuous and batch processes, such as chemicals, refining and water treatment, where a DCS is often used.
Which systems are most commonly used in industrial automation?
The core of industrial automation consists of sensors, actuators, PLCs and HMIs. In large process plants a DCS takes over control, and SCADA is used for supervision across multiple sites. MES and ERP connect automation to planning and business operations.
What is the automation pyramid?
The automation pyramid is a model that divides industrial automation into levels, from the physical process (level 0) to business planning with ERP (level 4). The structure is defined in the ISA-95 standard and goes back to the Purdue Model, which is also used as the basis for network segmentation.
Who invented the PLC?
The first PLC, the Modicon 084, was developed in 1968 by Dick Morley and his colleagues at Bedford Associates for General Motors. The PLC replaced the large relay cabinets that had controlled machines until then, so that changes could from then on be made in software.
Why is cybersecurity important for industrial automation?
Industrial automation systems control physical processes, so a cyberattack can cause production downtime, damage to installations or danger to people. Many systems are old, run without updates and are increasingly connected to IT networks. That is why IEC 62443, NIS2 and national laws such as the Dutch Cyberbeveiligingswet require demonstrable security measures.
Does industrial automation replace human labour?
Industrial automation mainly takes over repetitive, heavy and dangerous work. At the same time it creates demand for technicians who can program, maintain and secure the systems. The operator’s role shifts from manual operation to monitoring, analysing and intervening when something deviates.
📌 In summary
Industrial automation controls machines and processes automatically through sensors, actuators, PLCs, DCS and SCADA, organised in the levels of ISA-95, to make production safer, more efficient and more reliable. From the first PLC in 1968 to IIoT, AI and modular plants, it is the foundation of modern industry, and that makes security according to IEC 62443 increasingly important.