Representative End User Clients
Representative Automation Clients
Representative Software Clients
The second ARC Singapore Industry Leadership Forum brought together more than 190 industry leaders, technology providers, automation end users, and innovators. Smar participated as a Global Sponsor at this Forum, titled Winning in the Industrial AI Era on August 7, 2025. In the session on Future Automation: Open, Standardized, Software-Defined, Octávio Paschoal, Electronic Intelligence Agent, Nova Smar, shared insights on how the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), standardized data architectures, and open automation systems is reshaping the future of smart manufacturing. At the forefront of this transformation is Nova Smar, a Brazilian company with over 51 years of experience in industrial process automation. As an active member of the Open Process Automation Standard (OPAS) since 2019, Nova Smar is pioneering the integration of AI and OPAS to drive digital transformation in manufacturing. After the session there was a lively panel discussion. Octávio’s presentation can be viewed on YouTube and here too:
From Automation to Data-Driven Decision Making
Traditionally, automation focused on minimizing human intervention. Today, its primary role has shifted toward generating actionable data. This data fuels decision making across enterprise networks, making standardization critical. Technologies like OPC UA have emerged as the backbone of industrial communication, enabling seamless data flow from field devices to enterprise systems.
Nova Smar’s approach leverages OPAS to create a unified data lake, eliminating silos and ensuring that data is standardized from the source. This architecture supports real-time analytics, predictive maintenance, and intelligent operations—cornerstones of Industry 4.0.
AI in Manufacturing: Beyond the Hype
AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a practical tool for optimizing production, enhancing safety, and improving sustainability. In manufacturing, AI applications include:
- Predictive Maintenance: Anticipating equipment failures before they occur.
- Production Optimization: Streamlining operations for efficiency.
- Real-Time Decision Making: Empowering systems to respond dynamically to changing conditions.
Nova Smar envisions AI as a strategic ally in overcoming the perennial challenges of cost, time, quality, and security. By embedding AI into automation systems, manufacturers can achieve smarter, faster, and more reliable outcomes.
The OPAS Architecture Provides a Foundation for Open Innovation
The OPAS architecture—often referred to as the “gold and blue diagram”—decouples hardware and software, allowing applications to run on any node. This flexibility supports multi-vendor environments and fosters innovation. Nova Smar’s implementation includes:
- DCNs (Distributed Control Nodes)
- Orchestrators for system management
- Configuration tools like Nova-CSB
This modular setup enables scalable and interoperable automation solutions, essential for digital transformation in manufacturing.
Three Ways AI Enhances OPAS-Based Systems
Gen-AI Assisted Configuration: Nova Smar is developing AI-powered co-pilots to assist engineers in configuring control loops and function blocks. These tools reduce setup time, improve documentation, and support complex strategy development.
AI-Based System Management: Using orchestrators and tools like Kubernetes, AI can automate deployment, scaling, and resource allocation across multi-vendor environments. This streamlines integration and enhances system resilience.
AI-Driven Field Data Analysis: With OPAS Signal, a standardized OPC UA-based module, AI applications can analyze field data directly from the source. This enables intelligent process control and continuous improvement.
Solving End User Pain Points
Nova Smar’s AI-integrated OPAS solutions address key challenges faced by manufacturers:
- Faster Configuration: AI reduces engineering time and complexity.
- Optimized Integration: Orchestrators simplify multi-vendor deployments.
- Smarter Analytics: Unified data lakes enable deeper insights and better decisions.
These innovations are not just theoretical. Nova Smar is actively developing and testing these systems, with early-stage applications already in progress.
Winning in the AI Era
As we enter the AI era, the fusion of intelligent technologies with open automation standards like OPAS is essential for future-ready manufacturing. Nova Smar’s vision signifies how companies can harness AI, data, and open architectures to lead the digital transformation in manufacturing.