Keehoon Kim, CEO of MOVENSYS, presented the direction of changes in controllers for implementing smart factories at the 2025 Advantech Solution Forum held at Yangjae El Tower on the 17th.
CEO Kim said, “Even in the flow from Industry 3.0 to 5.0, the smart factory remains an important task,” and pointed out AI, edge computing, digital twin, and collaborative robots as the core technologies of Industry 5.0, which emphasizes human-centeredness, sustainability, and resilience.
Using the development of robots as an example, he explained, “In the past, commercial robots performed simple repetitive tasks, but now AI combined with physical robotics is expanding even into human professional domains. Factories will evolve beyond simple automation into a direction where they learn on their own and detect defects.”
CEO Kim particularly emphasized the change of controllers, saying, “A controller is not just hardware that moves equipment, but it must be connected with data.” He continued, “For AI to be properly utilized, data must be collected and processed with high quality from the control stage,” pointing out the limitations of the existing PLC-centered structure.
He said, “With only PLCs, data bottlenecks occur, making AI analysis difficult. On the other hand, industrial PC-based software control can satisfy real-time performance, flexibility, and scalability at the same time,” and emphasized, “From now on, controllers in manufacturing sites must go beyond simple hardware and take their place as intelligent platforms.”
He also introduced actual application cases of MOVENSYS. By introducing software-based control technology into semiconductor equipment, logistics systems, and AMR (autonomous mobile robots), the company has shortened development speed and secured vendor compatibility. He added, “Global companies are also actively promoting this transition.”
He further warned, “As AI spreads in manufacturing sites in the future, the intelligence and data capability of controllers will become even more important. Without industrial PC and software control technology, one could fall behind in future manufacturing competition.”