The Open-Source Advantage in Industrial Automation

In a recent interview at the Automate Show in Detroit, my colleague Robert Ponsonby sat down with Chris Luecke to discuss something that’s been quietly redefining the foundations of industrial automation: open source.

The conversation touched on many key themes – from legacy system integration to rapid deployment and the democratization of industrial tech – but one idea stood out to me in particular: the powerful role of open ecosystems in a field that has long been dominated by proprietary platforms and closed standards.

This is a trend far bigger than Arduino. It’s a signal of what’s next for industry.

Why open matters now

Industrial automation, in many ways, has been a victim of its own success. For decades, tightly integrated solutions from established vendors delivered rock-solid performance and reliability – but at the cost of flexibility and interoperability. As a result, factories today are a patchwork of systems and protocols, many of them decades old, all tasked with communicating in a world that now runs on cloud, data, and edge intelligence.

Open source doesn’t just offer an alternative – it offers an escape hatch.

It empowers engineers to sidestep vendor lock-in and build systems that are modular, transparent, and future-proof. Instead of adapting operations to the constraints of a single technology stack, manufacturers can now adapt technology to the unique needs of their operations. That is a profound shift.

Interoperability: from buzzword to business value

One of the most overused terms in automation circles is “interoperability.” But the real value of interoperability only becomes clear when you’re staring at a perfectly functional legacy machine that can’t speak to your cloud infrastructure – or when you want to deploy a new analytics layer without ripping out an entire control system.

In the interview, Rob shared a compelling example from Steelcase, where an aging Allen-Bradley setup was augmented – not replaced – using an Arduino-based solution running in parallel. The goal? Gather operational data, monitor downtime, and inform future investment with real insight instead of guesswork.

It’s a small story with big implications: interoperability isn’t about abstract architectures. It’s about making what you already have work better, today.

Community-driven innovation

Open source thrives not only because of what it enables technically, but because of what it unlocks socially.

At Arduino, we’ve long seen this in education, maker spaces, and research labs. But now we’re seeing it in factories and machine shops. A growing community of professional users is sharing code, publishing solutions, and building on each other’s work. And that community is fast becoming one of the most powerful engines of industrial innovation.

When companies choose open-source platforms, they don’t just get hardware and software – they get a support network. They tap into collective experience, learn from peers, and accelerate development through proven patterns. In a world where time-to-deployment can make or break ROI, this is no small advantage.

A bridge for the next generation

There’s also a talent angle to consider. As engineering curricula shift toward high-level languages, data science, and embedded programming, the gap between what students learn and what industry demands has grown. Few graduates today are fluent in ladder logic. Many are fluent in Python or C++.

Open platforms create a bridge – allowing new talent to enter the industrial space without retraining from scratch, while also giving experienced professionals access to tools and languages that align with modern software development practices. We’ve seen it firsthand through initiatives like our Arduino Academy programs, but the opportunities span far beyond us.

From experimentation to impact

Finally, let’s talk about speed.

Rob mentioned that open-source deployments in industrial contexts have seen up to a 70% reduction in rollout timelines. That’s not just about convenience – it’s about competitiveness. The ability to go from idea to implementation in weeks instead of months means faster iteration, faster feedback, and ultimately, faster impact.

Of course, this speed doesn’t come from cutting corners. It comes from building on a robust foundation of community-vetted libraries, open standards like OPC UA, and tools designed for accessibility without sacrificing performance.

The way forward

Open source is not the right fit for every use case. But what’s clear – from projects in greenfield facilities to brownfield retrofits – is that its role in automation is no longer fringe or experimental. It’s strategic.

At Arduino, we’re proud to be part of this movement. But the real story is bigger than any single company. It’s about an ecosystem that values openness over exclusivity, flexibility over lock-in, and collaboration over control.

If you’d like to dive deeper into how these ideas play out in practice, I encourage you to watch the full conversation between Rob Ponsonby and Chris Luecke. It’s a conversation worth having – and one we hope continues across the industry.