Ten industrial data integration companies manufacturers should know
Manufacturers rarely suffer from a shortage of data. The greater problem is that valuable information remains fragmented across machines, PLCs, historians, SCADA, MES, ERP and an expanding range of cloud and enterprise applications. Connecting these environments through individual point-to-point interfaces creates complexity that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as factories add new systems, applications and data consumers. Industrial data integration is therefore becoming a critical foundation for analytics, AI and wider digital transformation.
The technologies addressing this challenge operate at different layers of the manufacturing architecture. Some specialize in extracting and contextualizing operational data, others provide messaging infrastructure that moves information between distributed systems, while enterprise integration platforms connect factory applications with the wider business. The companies featured here represent ten important approaches to creating more scalable industrial data flows, helping manufacturers break down information silos and make operational data consistently available wherever it can create value.
HighByte
Industrial data integration becomes difficult long before information reaches an analytics or AI platform. Factory data is typically spread across PLCs, historians, SCADA systems, databases and other operational technologies, often represented differently from one system to another. HighByte has built its platform specifically to address this integration and contextualization challenge.
Its Intelligence Hub provides an Industrial DataOps layer that allows manufacturers to collect, model, contextualize and distribute operational data without creating extensive point-to-point integrations. Instead of simply transferring raw tags between systems, manufacturers can organize information around assets, processes and production structures before delivering it to MES, cloud, analytics and AI applications. This reduces the amount of integration logic that must be recreated for every new use case while creating more consistent industrial data across the enterprise. As manufacturers build increasingly complex digital architectures, HighByte has become one of the leading specialists in making operational data ready for wider consumption.
Kepware
Legacy equipment remains one of the biggest obstacles to industrial data integration. Manufacturing plants frequently contain controllers, machines and automation systems from multiple generations and vendors, each communicating through different protocols. Kepware has become one of the industry’s most established connectivity technologies by providing a common layer between these operational systems and modern digital applications.
Its KEPServerEX platform supports an extensive range of industrial protocols, allowing manufacturers to collect data from disparate devices and expose it through standardized interfaces to SCADA, MES, historians, analytics and cloud platforms. This is particularly valuable in brownfield environments, where replacing functioning production equipment simply to gain access to its data would be impractical. Now part of PTC, Kepware also connects into broader Industrial IoT and digital transformation architectures. By providing a reliable bridge between established automation and newer software platforms, Kepware remains an important foundation for industrial data integration.
www.ptc.com/en/products/kepware
HiveMQ
Industrial data integration becomes harder to scale when every machine, application and platform requires a direct connection to every other system that needs its data. HiveMQ addresses this challenge through an event-driven architecture that allows manufacturers to move information between operational and enterprise systems without creating an expanding web of point-to-point integrations.
Its MQTT platform provides a messaging layer through which machines and applications can publish data once and make it available to multiple authorized consumers. Analytics platforms, cloud services, MES and other applications can then access the information they require without being tightly coupled to the system that originally generated it. This architecture also supports distributed manufacturing environments where data must move reliably between edge systems, factories and cloud platforms. By separating data producers from consumers, HiveMQ gives manufacturers a more flexible foundation for integrating industrial information as applications and requirements continue to change.
Solace
Industrial data rarely stays within the factory where it was created. Manufacturers increasingly need information to flow between plants, enterprise applications, cloud platforms and supply chain systems, often in real time. Solace has built its position around enabling these complex data flows through an event-driven architecture that distributes information to applications as events occur.
Its event broker technology allows operational and business systems to publish information once and make it available to multiple applications without requiring direct integrations between every producer and consumer. This helps manufacturers connect distributed environments while reducing the complexity created by traditional point-to-point architectures. Solace is particularly relevant for global manufacturers that need data to move reliably across plants, regions and cloud environments while supporting large numbers of applications. As industrial architectures become increasingly event-driven, Solace provides an important integration layer for moving operational information across the wider manufacturing enterprise.
Crosser
Moving industrial data between systems is only part of the integration challenge. Raw machine information often needs to be filtered, transformed and contextualized before downstream applications can use it effectively. Crosser has built its platform around performing these tasks across distributed edge, factory and enterprise environments.
Its Industrial DataOps platform enables manufacturers to collect information from operational systems, apply processing and transformation logic, and route the resulting data to cloud platforms, databases, analytics applications and other enterprise systems. A low-code approach allows integration workflows to be created and modified without extensive custom development, while edge processing means data can be prepared close to its source when required. This combination is particularly useful for manufacturers managing multiple plants and heterogeneous technology environments. By bringing integration, processing and orchestration together, Crosser helps organizations create more manageable data flows between the factory floor and the wider digital enterprise.
Litmus
Data integration becomes increasingly complex when manufacturers need to connect hundreds of different machines and control systems across multiple factories. Litmus approaches the problem at the industrial edge, creating a common data layer that reduces the need to build and maintain separate integrations for every asset and application.
Litmus Edge provides pre-built connectivity to a wide range of industrial equipment and protocols, allowing manufacturers to collect, normalize and contextualize operational data close to its source. That information can then be distributed to historians, MES, enterprise applications, analytics platforms and cloud services in a more consistent format. Its ability to combine industrial connectivity with edge data processing differentiates Litmus from conventional enterprise integration platforms, particularly in brownfield manufacturing environments. As organizations seek to make factory data available across a growing number of digital applications, Litmus provides an important bridge between operational technology and the wider enterprise data architecture.
EMQ
As industrial data volumes grow, manufacturers need integration infrastructure capable of handling continuous streams of information from large numbers of machines and sensors. EMQ addresses this requirement through high-performance messaging technology designed to move real-time data reliably across edge, factory and cloud environments.
Its EMQX platform uses MQTT to provide a scalable data transport layer connecting industrial devices with databases, analytics systems, cloud services and enterprise applications. Rather than building direct connections between every source and destination, manufacturers can use the platform to create a common messaging backbone through which operational information can be distributed to multiple systems. EMQ’s open-source foundations also provide flexibility for organizations developing customized industrial data architectures. As manufacturers connect more assets and applications, EMQ helps provide the scalable integration infrastructure required to keep large volumes of operational data flowing across increasingly distributed environments.
Informatica
Industrial data becomes more valuable when it can be combined with information from the rest of the enterprise. Manufacturers increasingly need to integrate operational data with ERP, supply chain, quality, engineering and cloud systems, while ensuring that information remains consistent and trustworthy as it moves between applications. Informatica brings enterprise-scale data integration and management capabilities to this challenge.
Its Intelligent Data Management Cloud provides data integration, quality, governance and cataloging capabilities across cloud and on-premise environments. For manufacturers, this can provide the enterprise layer needed to connect factory information with wider business data and create more consistent datasets for analytics and AI. Informatica is less focused on extracting information directly from machines than industrial specialists such as HighByte or Kepware, but becomes particularly relevant once operational data moves beyond the plant. As manufacturers seek to connect industrial and enterprise information at scale, Informatica provides an important foundation for creating governed, reusable data across the organization.
Boomi
Connecting industrial data with the wider business often requires manufacturers to bridge very different generations of technology. Factory applications, ERP platforms, cloud services, databases and partner systems may all need to exchange information, making integration increasingly difficult to manage through custom interfaces. Boomi has built its platform around simplifying these connections across hybrid enterprise environments.
Its integration platform as a service provides low-code tools for connecting applications, data and APIs across cloud and on-premise systems. For manufacturers, Boomi can provide the integration layer between operational applications such as MES and the enterprise platforms responsible for planning, supply chain, finance and customer management. Its emphasis on reusable connectors and centralized integration management can also reduce dependence on individually developed interfaces as digital architectures expand. While Boomi operates primarily above the machine level, it plays an important role in ensuring industrial information can flow into the broader business systems where it can support enterprise-wide decisions.
MuleSoft
Manufacturers increasingly need operational data to flow into the enterprise applications where planning, customer service, finance and supply chain decisions are made. MuleSoft has built its position around connecting these application environments through APIs and reusable integration services rather than relying on one-off interfaces.
Its Anypoint Platform enables manufacturers to connect systems, applications and data across cloud and on-premise environments while managing those integrations through a common API-led architecture. This is particularly useful where MES, ERP, CRM, supply chain and other business platforms need to exchange information consistently across multiple plants and functions. MuleSoft is not an industrial connectivity specialist at the machine level, but it becomes highly relevant once factory data needs to move into the broader enterprise technology stack. By providing a structured way to connect applications and reuse integration logic, MuleSoft helps manufacturers reduce complexity as digital ecosystems expand.
