The heroes are in the control cabinet
The digital revolution does not begin on the boardroom floor, but at the control cabinet - where the true intelligence of industry is networked. Integrators are the bridge builders between analog substance and digital control. They bring legacy systems into the data age, leverage hidden potential and decide which processes are truly automated and where value is created.
The market is exploding, the playing field is growing
The demand for system integration is growing rapidly: according to Markets&Markets, the global IoT integration market will rise to over USD 12 billion by 2028 - annual growth of around 31%. This is not Silicon Valley hype, but the result of real problems:
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Brownfield dominates: 80% of systems in Europe are more than 10 years old, retrofitting is mandatory.
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Digital factories need cross-manufacturer integration capability, interface diversity and flexible access logic.
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Operators demand solutions that can be scaledwith minimal IT effort - integrator-driven, not project-driven.
Integrators are the "missing link" that makes digitalization not just a theory but the backbone of value creation.
Practical examples: From tinkering to platforms
There is huge pent-up demand, and integrators gain a head start by implementing pioneering digital projects and developing scalable solutions from them.
Schaerer Coffee Systems in Switzerland provides one example : the manufacturer has digitally networked more than 90,000 coffee machines worldwide with the Coffee Link platform . Each machine sends status, temperature and consumption data to the cloud in real time. Operators can monitor fill levels, errors, maintenance cycles and sales remotely. Service calls are only made when necessary and spare parts are automatically scheduled. For Schaerer, this means moving from a product provider to a platform provider with subscription-based service contracts, pay-per-cup models and new, recurring revenues.
A second example is Lineage Logistics, which operates over 400 deep-freeze warehouses in the USA and Europe. The company uses the Ndustrial Nsight® platform to manage energy consumption and operating costs. Sensors record power consumption, temperature and peak loads; AI-supported control systems automatically shift energy-intensive cooling cycles to favorable tariff times. Result: 34% less energy consumption and annual savings of USD 4 million. The platform concept is reflected in the fact that optimizations at one location can be rolled out globally immediately. Knowledge is multiplied instead of isolated.
Platform logic also works in Europe: a study on smart retrofit projects in Ireland and Greece shows how older industrial and office buildings were networked via an IoT platform. Sensors for heating, ventilation and energy consumption were retrofitted and a set of rules links consumption and usage data. The platform reacts automatically to inefficient patterns: appliances shut down when idle and peak loads are smoothed out. The result: energy savings of up to 60% at peak times and an average of 5-10% during operation. Proof of how platform logic can transform even existing systems into adaptive systems.
These examples show how integrators can use platform thinking to master the step from individual solutions to scalable business models and turn technology projects into genuine digital ecosystems.
Why integrators don't scale - and what platforms change
Many integrators encounter massive hurdles in their day-to-day work that systematically slow down their scalability. In particular, the large number of legacy systems with individual, proprietary control systems makes each connection a separate project that is constantly repeated. Different protocols and closed interfaces lead to data silos and prevent consistent communication - this results in a high proportion of special programming, which ties up resources and limits the speed of implementation.
Added to this is the acute shortage of specialists: IT/OT experts are in short supply and integration projects often depend on individuals. This results in project delays and a limited ability to expand, which means that potential revenue is lost. Ultimately, margins are falling because traditional hardware revenue and one-off integration are no longer sufficient for sustainable business success. Many integrators are coming under price pressure or are unable to transfer their services into a recurring, scalable model.
Without a platform approach that focuses on modularization, reuse and simple integration, growthremains selective and difficult to plan. The risk of comparability and interchangeability increases if solutions are repeatedly created in project mode instead of being able to establish themselves as scalable services.
The solution: platform logic
This is where platform logic comes in - it takes the fragmented world of integrators to a new level. Instead of wiring each project individually, platforms create a common structure on which knowledge, logic and reuse can grow. This is crucial because scalability does not come from more people, but from systems that propagate themselves.
Platform logic means that each integration becomes a building block for the next. What has been created once as a rule, dashboard or automation can be reused - across locations, sectors and customers. This creates a network of solutions that scales exponentially rather than linearly . Integrators are thus transformed from project suppliers into operators of living ecosystems.
The platform concept is the right approach because it combines efficiency with the ability to learn: Data is not only collected, but translated into decision-making logic. Each new installation strengthens the overall knowledge, each application makes the platform more precise. The result: less duplication of work, more speed, better margins and digitization that pays for itself:
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Retrofit instead of new construction: old and new are integrated via gateway, proprietary protocols are broken up.
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No-code templates and reuse: rules, dashboards and automation are developed once as a template and rolled out as often as required.
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Open interfaces and protocol diversity: From Modbus to MQTT -** the platform **integrates everything instead of turning integrators into API programmers.
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OEM options and white label: Integrators can brand their own platforms, establish new business models and build recurring revenue.
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Security by design: Certified role rights, IT/OT security and verifiability facilitate sales - especially in the critical infrastructure or energy business.
Scenarios: From project business to platform economy
The benefits for integrators are immediately noticeable - and go far beyond technical simplification. Platform logic changes how integrators think, work and grow. Project pressure becomes predictability, individual solutions become a system of reusable modules that evolves from customer to customer. They gain time, clarity and operational stability - and the ability to multiply their knowledge instead of generating it anew each time:
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Less reliance on skilled staff, thanks to modular building blocks and reuse.
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More margin through recurring service revenue - templates instead of one-off customizations.
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Predictable revenue with SaaS, white label and OEM options, applicable to many industries.
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Security and trust because operators and customers meet regulatory requirements immediately.
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Scalable expansion through uncomplicated integration of new locations, aggregation of data and analyses, automated reporting.
Day-to-day operations can be planned: error warnings are sent as push notifications, service calls are no longer made on suspicion but are controlled based on data. Integrators no longer spend their time fiddling with interfaces, but rather on value creation and expansion.
Conclusion: Integrators - performers or designers?
The real industrial avant-garde today sits at the control cabinet, building platforms, not patchwork.
With VION as the technology basis, the transition from project-driven lone fighter to scalable platform partner is successful.
Those who take the next step multiply efficiency, establish new service revenues and become the real drivers of digitalization.
The timing is ideal - and the platform logic turns integrators into the creative force for value creation and growth.
Those who don't start will remain in the price war.
Those who use the platform turn every order into a product kit - and give the industry a new agenda.
