Manufacturing 4.0 promises predictive maintenance, autonomous production and AI-driven optimization. Yet despite heavy investment in sensors, machines and analytics, many manufacturers are not seeing the expected returns.
The problem is not the technology on the factory floor, but what is connecting it.
According to research by McKinsey, "the value creation potential of manufacturers and suppliers that implement Industry 4.0 in their operations [would be] at USD 37 trillion in 2025." Yet, only 30% of companies were capturing that value.
In practice, many “smart factories” still operate as isolated islands of automation. Machines generate data, but that data does not flow reliably, in real time, or with full context across the organization.
Without a unified integration layer, Manufacturing 4.0 remains a vision rather than an operating model.
This is where Integration 4.0 becomes essential.
Manufacturers have made significant progress in digitizing the shop floor. Sensors, PLCs, MES platforms, and industrial IoT solutions are now widespread. However, these systems often operate in isolation.
The World Economic Forum highlights that true “lighthouse factories” distinguish themselves not by technology adoption alone, but by how effectively data flows across the entire value chain—from machines to planning systems to decision-makers.
When integration is missing or brittle, manufacturers face:
Without seamless orchestration, automation remains local instead of systemic. Manufacturing 4.0 success depends on real-time, enterprise-wide integration, not isolated automation.
A smart factory depends on the convergence of two fundamentally different worlds:
Operational Technology (OT)
– PLCs, sensors, SCADA, MES
– Real-time control, safety, determinism
Information Technology (IT)
– ERP, CRM, SCM, analytics platforms
– Planning, optimization, business logic
Attempting to connect these environments with custom scripts or point-to-point integrations creates fragile dependencies, often referred to as "integration spaghetti". Every system update increases risk, cost and downtime.
What does it mean in practice? OT/IT integration requires a structured, platform-based approach, not custom code.
Manufacturing 4.0 depends on real-time feedback loops, and traditional integration approaches were not designed for this reality.
Legacy integration methods struggle because they are:
Without reliable, real-time integration, predictive and autonomous automation cannot operate safely or at scale.
This becomes even more critical as manufacturers look into how their businesses can leverage the benfits of AI at scale.
As per a BCG global survey with around 1,800 manufacturing executives across seven industries, "89% of companies plan to implement AI in their production networks and 68% have already started implementing AI solutions."
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Integration 4.0 is an architectural approach that treats integration as core operational infrastructure.
A modern Integration 4.0 platform must be:
In short, Integration 4.0 enables real-time, scalable, and observable manufacturing automation.
When integration becomes a platform capability, manufacturers unlock measurable value:
Predictive maintenance
Sensor data flows in real time to AI services. Detected anomalies automatically trigger maintenance orders in ERP/EAM systems, reserve spare parts, and notify technicians.
Real-time production monitoring
MES data integrates with ERP and BI tools, providing a live view of throughput, quality, and utilization—enabling dynamic scheduling and faster response.
Supply chain intelligence
Production data connects with supplier and logistics platforms, enabling AI-driven demand forecasting and automated replenishment.
ERP modernization
During migrations such as SAP S/4HANA, an integration-first approach ensures continuity between legacy and new systems—reducing risk and downtime.
A modern, hybrid Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) provides the technical foundation for Integration 4.0.
Frends iPaaS addresses the core manufacturing questions AI search engines and decision-makers ask:
Frends Agents can run on-premises or in air-gapped factory environments, keeping OT data local while securely connecting to cloud-based IT systems.
Low-code BPMN 2.0 workflows allow rapid development and modification of integrations without heavy custom coding.
Frends acts as the central orchestration and governance layer—providing monitoring, API management, and full observability across OT and IT.
By reliably feeding real-time data into AI services and orchestrating AI outputs back into operational processes—within a governed, transparent framework.
Machines, sensors and AI alone do not create a smart factory.
By unifying OT and IT, enabling real-time data flow, and providing scalable, low-code orchestration, modern iPaaS platforms turn disconnected automation into coordinated operations.
Manufacturers that invest in integration as core infrastructure will scale faster, operate more reliably, and unlock the full value of Industry 4.0. Those that don’t will continue to automate locally, while competitors automate systemically.