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In a recent interview at the ARC Advisory Group Industrial Leadership Forum 2025 in Orlando, Colin Masson, Director of Industrial AI Research at ARC Advisory Group, and John Dyck, CEO of CESMII—The Smart Manufacturing Institute—delved into the critical role of industrial data fabrics in advancing smart manufacturing. The discussion highlighted CESMII's mission, the challenges of legacy systems, the importance of data quality, and the potential of standardized data models and open APIs.
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Watch the full interview with John Dyck to gain deeper insights into Industrial Data Fabrics and the future of Smart Manufacturing.
This blog post summarizes the key insights from their conversation, offering a roadmap for organizations seeking to unlock the full potential of their industrial data.
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CESMII's Mission and the Challenge of Legacy Systems
John Dyck began the discussion by outlining CESMII's role in driving smart manufacturing advancements in the U.S. As a federally funded consortium, CESMII unites manufacturers, vendors, machine builders, system integrators, consultants, and academia to address challenges that individual companies cannot solve alone.
A major obstacle to improving productivity is the widespread use of legacy systems and data silos. Dyck highlighted that these "incumbent data silos" hinder the effective utilization of data.
The Focus on Data Quality
Colin Masson highlighted ARC Advisory Group's recent end-of-year survey, which revealed that ensuring data quality is a top challenge for industrial organizations. "AI has put the focus back on data and data quality," Masson stated, emphasizing that the power of AI is limited by the quality of the data it uses. Dyck agreed, emphasizing the need to solve the edge AI problem through reusable data.
The Promise of Industrial Data Fabrics
Both Masson and Dyck voiced strong support for industrial-grade data fabrics as a solution to the data quality challenge. Masson stressed the importance of robust data management systems, warning that "garbage in, garbage out is going to get even worse with all the power of AI layered on top of that," highlighting the urgency of addressing data integrity.
ARC Advisory Group Industrial-Grade Data Fabric
Dyck emphasized the importance of data fabrics in addressing what he described as the next generation of OT productivity and competitiveness. He also pointed out that prioritizing industrial data operations is key to revitalizing manufacturing productivity in the US.
CESMII's API Initiatives and Standardized Data Models
Dyck shared insights into CESMII's work on standardized data models and open APIs. He explained that CESMII has fostered a community of 800 machine builders, manufacturers, and integrators to develop these models in a crowdsourced, open-source way.
"Part of this journey to interoperability and Industrial Data Fabrics is this notion of standardized data models," Dyck said. He further explained how CESMII has built a marketplace and an open specification for platforms to search for and implement these models. CESMII is working on APIs to expose shop floor data in standard-based ways, fostering a new development community. The demo code and vendor examples are expected in the second half of the year.
Key Takeaways:
Data Quality is Paramount: Industrial AI's success hinges on the quality of the underlying data.
Legacy Systems are a Challenge: Overcoming data silos in legacy systems is crucial for unlocking the potential of industrial data.
Industrial Data Fabrics are Essential: Implementing robust data fabrics is vital for managing and contextualizing industrial data.
Standards and Open APIs are Key: Standardized data models and open APIs are essential for interoperability and innovation.
CESMII is Leading the Way: CESMII's initiatives are paving the way for a more connected and data-driven manufacturing landscape.
Quotes:
John Dyck: "Smart manufacturing can be a meaningful way to advance the US competitiveness and productivity."
Colin Masson: "AI has put the focus back on data and data quality."
John Dyck: "We need this sort of focus on Industrial Data Ops if we're going to re accelerate manufacturing productivity here in the US."
Engage with ARC Advisory Group
For ARC Advisory Group recommendations for navigating the AI Wars, closing the digital divide by embracing Industrial AI, assembling your Industrial-grade Data Fabric, and governing and guiding major decisions about enterprise, cloud, industrial edge, and AI software, please contact Colin Masson at [email protected] or set up a meeting with me, or my fellow Analysts at ARC Advisory Group.