Best of LinkedIn: Smart Manufacturing CW 21/ 22

Smart Manufacturing activity over the past two weeks shows a clear shift from isolated pilots toward integrated industrial operating models. Industrial AI, digital twins, MES modernization, robotics and edge connectivity are increasingly being combined to improve throughput, traceability, deployment speed and operational resilience.

Date

June 3, 2026

Smart Manufacturing

Thomas Allgeyer

Methodology: Every two weeks we collect most relevant posts on LinkedIn for selected topics and create an overall summary only based on these posts. If you´re interested in the single posts behind, you can find them here: https://linktr.ee/thomasallgeyer. Have a great read!

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If you prefer listening, check out our podcast summarizing the most relevant insights from Smart Manufacturing CW 21/ 22:

Industrial AI and Agentic Manufacturing

AI is moving deeper into production environments, shifting from advisory analytics toward systems that support operators, automate workflows and trigger actions
Stellantis, NVIDIA and Accenture highlight how Systemic AI and digital twins can support global manufacturing operations at scale
TSMC’s expanded use of NVIDIA AI across lithography, materials research and defect detection shows how AI is becoming embedded in semiconductor manufacturing workflows
Samsung’s 2030 AI Factory vision underlines the importance of semantic layers and knowledge graphs as foundations for scalable industrial AI
Corello’s private AI assistants connect ERP, MES, machine data and tribal knowledge, reflecting growing demand for enterprise-safe AI in manufacturing

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Digital Twins, Simulation and Virtual Commissioning

Executable twins for clean rooms and high precision lines replace physical trials, cutting validation effort and speeding product and process changes
CNC-focused twins de-risk new jobs, reducing scrap, tool wear and unplanned downtime before any program reaches the real machine
Factory layout and capacity twins turn greenfield and brownfield planning into a virtual exercise, optimizing flow, bottlenecks and investment decisions
Combined physics models, operational data, AI and high performance compute shift twins from static visualization to everyday decision engines for engineers and planners
Biopharma and process industry examples show that digital twins are expanding beyond discrete manufacturing into complex process development and optimization

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MES, Digital Thread and Manufacturing Data Architecture

MES is becoming the execution backbone for Smart Manufacturing, connecting planning, shop-floor operations, traceability, quality and analytics
SAP Digital Manufacturing POD 2.0 strengthens low-code shop-floor design and AI-enabled operator interfaces
Siemens Opcenter EX MDD 2604 supports faster decisions and stronger traceability in regulated manufacturing environments
Teamcenter Manufacturing Easy Plan links manufacturing planning with execution discipline, especially in aerospace and defense production
Digital Thread concepts are becoming more operational, connecting PLM, MES, quality and Industrial AI into a more integrated decision layer

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Automation, Control and Connectivity Infrastructure

Smart Manufacturing scale increasingly depends on modern control infrastructure, stable data flows and disciplined integration across the OT layer
Toyota’s HiveMQ deployment on AWS with mTLS shows how secure MQTT infrastructure can support industrial IoT at scale
Siemens S7 GET and PUT instructions remain relevant for practical PLC-to-PLC communication over PROFINET
Siemens SIMATIC S7-1200 G1 phase-out creates a clear migration signal toward the G2 generation
OTee’s Virtual PLC performance and OPC UA throughput point to growing interest in software-defined industrial control

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Robotics and Flexible Production

Robotics is becoming more pragmatic, with stronger focus on production flexibility, system integration and reliable deployment
Amazon Vulcan highlights progress in collaborative picking and warehouse automation
Robotiq IQ targets the robot integration bottleneck by automating assessment and deployment-ready workflows
AWL’s flexible chair-frame line shows how bending, cutting, handling and welding can be integrated into adaptive production systems
Boston Robotics Summit takeaways emphasize user-grounded products, practical integration and reliability over isolated technology demonstrations

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Industrial Software, Platforms and New Products

Siemens Tecnomatix being named a G2 Spring 2026 Leader reinforces the maturity and visibility of digital twin software
SAP Digital Manufacturing POD 2.0 strengthens configurable, low-code and AI-enabled shop-floor execution
Siemens Opcenter EX MDD 2604 advances traceability and regulated manufacturing decision support
Robotiq IQ introduces an AI-assisted platform for faster robot integration
MAESTRO, the next-generation CMM built in Wetzlar, won the German Innovation Award and highlights continued innovation in precision metrology

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Partnerships, Ecosystems and Events

Microsoft and KoçDigital are partnering to accelerate industrial AI adoption, linking hyperscale capabilities with manufacturing execution expertise
Schneider Electric and ENSAM Rabat are exploring digital learning and automation collaboration, reinforcing the talent dimension of Smart Manufacturing
Liebherr and AWS are exploring edge IoT and agentic AI for remote industrial battery applications
Schneider Electric’s TeXpert APAC session reinforces the role of partner ecosystems around EcoStruxure Platform collaboration
Bosch Connected World 2026, the 3DEXPERIENCE Conference and the Stuttgart Industrial AI Forum all point to stronger convergence across AI, robotics, digital twins and software-defined manufacturing

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Sector Applications and Use-Case Signals

Automotive and mobility remain active Smart Manufacturing arenas, with Stellantis, Apollo Tyres, Toyota and TRAK showing different maturity levels across AI, IoT and digital twins
Semiconductor manufacturing is moving toward AI-enabled process optimization, especially across engineering, materials research and defect detection
CPG manufacturers are using digital twins for throughput improvement and capital efficiency, with PepsiCo providing one of the clearest operational examples
Biopharma is applying mechanistic digital twins to chromatography process development, showing relevance beyond discrete manufacturing
Aerospace and defense continue to rely on advanced manufacturing planning, with Teamcenter Manufacturing Easy Plan positioned as a production optimization lever

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