Related use case
Revolutionising production analysis at potato powerhouse Agristo
Process data from the tap: discover the next step in IT/OT integration
Jeroen Coussement on
Process data should be as accessible as flipping a switch. Companies are already demonstrating that centralising IT and OT can make this vision a reality, driving efficiency and smarter decision-making. Find out how.
Imagine if access to process data were as reliable and accessible as electricity or running water. This isn’t some far-fetched vision of the future: a growing number of industrial companies are proving how this approach leads to better decision-making and enhanced efficiency. By merging IT and OT into a single, central platform and making process data accessible to everyone within the organisation, each team member is able to contribute to smarter, more efficient production processes.
Discover the next step in IT/OT integration.
Growing need for data transparency
Historically, process data has often been locked within a factory’s automation systems. Only a select group of technicians had the ability to analyse the data, which meant that valuable insights remained confined to a very narrow circle. Today, this approach is no longer sustainable: more internal departments — from management to logistics and quality control — desperately need access to production data to better understand and optimise processes.
From patchwork to centralised platform
OT systems are primarily designed for reliability and continuity but often fall short when it comes to scalable data access. On the other hand, IT systems are built to process and provide large volumes of data to many users. To make this valuable data widely accessible — from OT to IT — a central data infrastructure at the IT level is essential.
Many manufacturing companies around the globe are still lagging when it comes to centralised data management. Despite growing awareness (and fortunately, increasing action), many still tackle data projects case by case. For each new data project, a separate infrastructure needs to be set up, which usually leads to high costs and complexity. This approach also makes it challenging to respond quickly to new needs.
To make data broadly accessible for employees — and to truly benefit from it — companies need to move away from isolated, case-by-case solutions, siloed tools, and fragmented data structures as quickly as possible. A modest investment in a central data infrastructure at the IT level will simplify new data projects, lower the marginal costs of each project, and pave the way for unified initiatives like a Unified Namespace.
IT/OT integration: a real-life use case
Agristo, a Belgian producer of frozen potato products, demonstrates how a centralised data approach works in practice. They use the Factry Historian data platform to improve production analysis and make process data accessible to a wide group of users. With accessible data, operators and managers now make decisions based on hard facts rather than intuition.
The platform also serves as a secure ‘sandbox’, separate from the company’s OT systems. This makes it possible for employees from different departments to collect, analyse, and experiment with real-time process data without operational risks.
This open data culture has led to better decision-making, improved efficiency, and enhanced quality control. With visual insights into critical KPIs, Agristo can now quickly respond to deviations, resulting in less downtime and increased output. Access to historical data also makes it easier to identify and solve quality issues in a timely manner.
Postponing means missing opportunities
To sum it up, investing in a central data infrastructure at the IT level is crucial to making process data as accessible as running water for a wide group of users and uncovering new insights to improve processes. Without this foundation, your organisation risks getting stuck in expensive, isolated data projects and a maze of hard-to-manage tools.
A central platform allows you to launch projects more efficiently, scale up faster, and be well-prepared for current and future data challenges, such as AI. Agristo’s example shows that this approach delivers tangible benefits: less unplanned downtime, better quality control, and a more profitable production process.
Take action with Factry Historian
Ready to make process data flow effortlessly throughout your organisation? Factry Historian is your solution to unify your IT and OT, eliminate data silos, and drive efficiency.
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