Put plant data to use: OPC UA makes your plant analyzable
AI does not belong in the PLC — but next to it. Via OPC UA, modern controllers deliver their data read-only to the outside: for monitoring, reports and early warning.
- international industrial standard
- IEC 62541
- international industrial standard
- analysis without intervening in the controller
- Read-only
- analysis without intervening in the controller
- uses data the PLC captures anyway
- 0 new sensors
- uses data the PLC captures anyway
The S7-1500 comes with the OPC UA server as standard, as does the S7-1200 G2 (from firmware V4.0). This gives your plant a standardized data interface to IEC 62541 — encrypted, with role-based access rights, usable purely read-only.
The door the retrofit opens
An S5 or S7-300 simply does not have this interface. With the new controller, external analysis systems can read off the plant data while the controller itself runs its deterministic logic untouched.
What is realistically feasible today
Without corporate IT and without additional sensors — from the data the PLC captures anyway:
- Alarm and fault analysis: which sensor reports most often? Which fault recurs every week?
- Downtime reports: automatically from the operating states the controller knows.
- Plain-text reports instead of raw data: readable shift or weekly reports from structured process data.
- Energy monitoring: consumption and peak loads per plant section, deviations as an early indicator.
- Early warning: motor currents, run times and cycle times as a wear indicator, long before a person notices in day-to-day operations.
A sober view
The benefit lies in visibility and faster diagnosis — not in a “self-healing plant”; no one should believe such promises. None of this has to be live on the changeover day: the retrofit unlocks the door, and you can use it whenever you are ready.
AI discipline
No AI runs in the controller. The PLC works with deterministic, tested logic; AI analyzes read-only and does not write into the process. This separation is the condition under which AI can be used responsibly in a machine environment.
Related services
Control System Retrofit
Migrate S5, S7-300 or S7-400 to S7-1500/S7-1200 — often without rebuilding the control cabinet.
Control System Retrofit: Migrate S5, S7-300 or S7-400 to S7-1500/S7-1200 — often without rebuilding the control cabinet.HMI & Visualization (WinCC Unified)
Plant schematic, SVG device symbols, individual pop-ups and web access — to a screen concept.
HMI & Visualization (WinCC Unified): Plant schematic, SVG device symbols, individual pop-ups and web access — to a screen concept.Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this AI in my controller?
No. The PLC runs its deterministic, tested logic unchanged — exactly as safety and standards require. Analysis systems read the data off via OPC UA read-only; no model writes into the process.
Do I need new sensors for this?
Usually not. Motor currents, run times, cycle times, messages and operating states are captured by the controller anyway — and exactly this data is already enough for fault analysis, reports and early warning.
How secure is the interface?
OPC UA is the international standard IEC 62541 — with encryption and role-based access rights. You can define exactly who may read which data; the connection stays within the plant or company network.
Unlock your plant data
From the first downtime report to energy monitoring — beginning with the data your plant already has today.
✓ Non-binding initial consultation ✓ Response time < 24h on business days