Retrofit
Machine data without a PLC swap
Legacy machines deliver over Modbus, classic control protocols or added sensors. We lift that to OPC UA level without you touching a controller.
Follow-up · Integration · OPC UA
OPC UA integration
for your plant
We connect your machines, model the data points and hand them to ERP, MES, time-series database or AI, vendor-independently and without replacing the controller. Delivered by the author and long-term steward of the most used open-source OPC UA libraries for Node-RED since 2017.
Request connectivity2013active in the OPC Foundation working groups
2017author and initiator of the most used open-source OPC UA libraries for Node-RED
20+years at the OT/IT interface
0vendor lock-in: we do not sell controllers
01
What we are commissioned for
Servers
Getting an OPC UA server connected
Your machine already ships an OPC UA server, but the address space is a data graveyard. We turn it into an information model your systems can work with.
Bridges
OPC UA ↔ MQTT / Sparkplug
Where IT systems expect MQTT and the shop floor speaks OPC UA, we build the bridge, with semantics preserved rather than a flat topic tree.
Modelling
Companion specifications
We model to ISA-95 and, where they exist, to your industry's companion specifications. That way your structure survives the next system change.
02
Why this lands with us
OPC UA is not a protocol you “switch on”. The difference between working connectivity and a data graveyard is the information model. That is craft, not a configuration dialog.
Klaus Landsdorf has worked in the OPC Foundation working groups since 2013 and has been the author and long-term steward of one of the most used open-source OPC UA libraries for Node-RED since 2017. The standards we deploy at your site are written where we contribute.
For you that means: no learning curve on your invoice, no vendor lock-in, and a model that still holds when the next machine comes from a different manufacturer.
03
How an OPC UA integration project runs
1
Inventory and target model
Controller types, existing servers, required values and consumers (ERP, MES, historian, AI). We define the information model before the first cable is pulled.
2
Pilot on one machine
One clean address space, one bridge if needed, one measurable hand-off. You see latency, naming and data quality before a plant-wide rollout.
3
Rollout with companion specs
We scale the model along ISA-95 and industry companion specifications where they exist, so new machines inherit the same semantics.
4
Handover and operation
Documentation, training and optional operation. Your team can extend the model, or we keep evolving it with you.
04
MQTT, Sparkplug and retrofit without a PLC swap
Many IT stacks expect MQTT topics while the shop floor already speaks OPC UA. We bridge both directions and keep semantics intact instead of flattening everything into opaque topic names.
Sparkplug helps when you need birth certificates, state and efficient payload design for many devices. We use it where it fits the consumer, not as a dogma.
For brownfield lines the usual path is retrofit: Modbus, classic field protocols or cabinet sensors into an edge gateway, then a proper OPC UA information model. Controllers stay accepted as they are. Details live on our retrofit page when that is your primary need.
Frequently asked about OPC UA integration
Our machines are 15 years old. Is that still possible?
In most cases yes. Where no interface exists we capture over Modbus, classic control protocols or, if need be, retrofitted sensors at the cabinet. Send us a list of controller types and we will tell you what works without intervention.
Do we have to replace the PLC for OPC UA?
No. That is the point: connectivity happens alongside, through an edge gateway such as the SWIFT-BOX. The controller stays unchanged and the machine acceptance stays valid.
How do you handle OPC UA to MQTT / Sparkplug?
We map the information model into topics or Sparkplug metrics without throwing away units, asset context or quality flags. The bridge is tested on a pilot machine first, then rolled out.
You work with Node-RED: is that production-grade?
Yes, in clearly bounded roles: integration, protocol bridges and data preparation. We use it where it is the fastest and most maintainable answer, and containerise operation with Docker. Where a controller has to regulate deterministically, control belongs in the controller, not in Node-RED.
Who operates it afterwards?
You, if you want to. We document the model and train your team on it. If you would rather not, we take over operation and evolution.
Can we start with one machine?
We recommend it. One machine, one clean model, one measurable result. After that the rest can be estimated reliably. Name the machine and we will quote for it.
Is this available as an international engagement?
Yes. English is a first-class delivery language for OPC UA work. We scope remotely, on site or hybrid, and keep the same vendor-independent modelling standard across plants.
Related next steps
Edge
SWIFT-BOX edge gateway
Capture and historise at the machine when the shop floor needs a local collector.
Learn more →Data
iniationOS data foundation
One semantic layer when several lines and systems must share the same truth.
Learn more →Entry
Automation audit and report
Start with a written assessment if the order of steps is still unclear.
Learn more →Case studies with OPC UA connectivity
Case study · Plastics processing
40 injection moulding machines, one data foundation
Heterogeneous controllers connected over OPC UA and Modbus, 90 percent less scrap.
Learn more →Case study · Food industry
Palletising cell costed before the order
Cycle time and layer pattern proven in 3D before the DOBOT cell was bought.
Learn more →Case study · Metalworking
Energy cost per order
Meter and machine data joined to order data: unit costs including energy.
Learn more →Interested, but not ready to enquire?
An e-mail address is enough. We come back once with a short read on it, no newsletter.
Which machine should be connected?
Controller type, existing interfaces and the values you need: that is all it takes for a first assessment.
Request connectivity