THE CONNECTED FACTORY CONUNDRUM

Building cyber-resilient smart factories: Why cybersecurity is the backbone of digital manufacturing

- By Sujatha Vishnuraj

Smart factories powered by AI, IoT, cloud computing, and automation—are no longer a distant future or mere buzz words. They are rapidly becoming the present-day norm across global manufacturing hubs. From predictive maintenance and robotic assembly lines to digitally connected supply chains, the 21st century shop floor is a high-performance data ecosystem. Smart factories are increasingly being utilised by industry as part of the transition toward digitization. Being connected to cloud or the internet, they bring a plethora of advantages. But with this leap in digital capabilities comes a surge in cyber threats.

The ‘connected factory conundrum’ refers to the increased cyber security risks that come with the interconnectedness of modern manufacturing facilities. While digitalization and automation offer numerous benefits like increased efficiency and productivity, they also create new vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. Cybersecurity is paramount in this context because attacks can lead to data breaches, production disruptions and financial losses, impacting not only the manufacturing company but also its partners and its customers.

Manufacturers today must ask a pressing question—can innovation scale securely without compromising operational continuity? And to what extend are cyber threats affecting manufacturers today?

Many manufacturing companies are seeing an increase in cyber-related incidents associated with the control systems used to manage industrial operations. These systems can range PLCs and distributed control systems to embedded systems and industrial IoT devices.