You know that feeling when you've been laying the groundwork for something big, and you can finally see it starting to take shape? That's where we're at as we kick off 2025. Like we told you at the start of last year, 2024 was all about growing our team, building a solid foundation, and having a blast doing it. Now, we get to see what we can build on top of it, both in Belgium and beyond. Let's take a moment to catch our breath, look back at the year that was, and chart a course for an even more ambitious 2025.

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2024: Laying the groundwork

For us, 2024 was a year defined by growth and consolidation. As we welcomed a bunch of experts to our team, we were busy spreading the word about Unified Namespace and showing companies how a truly connected factory could transform their operations. But it wasn't just talk; we were working side-by-side with clients like Evonik and Veolia on some pretty exciting projects. We launched accelerator programs, ran pilot projects, and saw the "aha!" moments when people grasped the power of a unified data approach.

"We spent a lot of last year raising awareness about the concept of Unified Namespaces and the importance of connectivity. I think that, for a lot of our clients, it really was the year of discovery and understanding of the concept."

-Adrien

However, it wasn't always smooth sailing. As with any new technology, there was a learning curve, and the manufacturing industry faced some economic headwinds. As a result, many of our clients were understandably cautious about big investments.  

But what kept us going (besides our people) was the clear enthusiasm from other companies. They saw the potential, wanted to innovate, and were eager to learn. They understood that this wasn't about us pushing technology, but about collaborating with them to find solutions that actually make a difference for their people and bottom line.

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2025: From pilots to production

So, where does that leave us in 2025? We've laid the groundwork, made the case for UNS, and seen the excitement in our clients' eyes. Now, it's time to deliver. We're moving beyond pilot projects and proofs of concept, shifting our focus to full-scale Unified Namespace implementations.  

We're taking UNS from a promising idea to the very heart of our clients' operations. And we're not just aiming for any clients, but those with the same daring mindset as us. In practice, that means working closely with forward-thinking organisations like Technoform to roll out UNS across their production lines. Not as a test, but as the new standard.

“I wish manufacturing companies that are not yet convinced of the added value of Industry 4.0 the best of luck. We’re here to service those who are, and who’ve got a strategy in place but don’t know how to implement it (yet).”

-Mathias

However, a full-scale UNS rollout is just one piece of the puzzle. We see 2025 as the year we truly start to unlock the full potential of connected factories, and that means integrating other critical technologies into that unified data foundation.

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Connecting the pieces

Take data historians, for example: not a new technology by any measure, but one with lots of innovation and potential. We've been hard at work to deepen our knowledge of these next-generation historian solutions, like Canary, to help our clients even better. It’s time to go beyond simply collecting data and turn it into insights that can drive continuous improvement across the board.

The same goes for composable Manufacturing Execution Systems. As you've probably guessed by now, we're not interested in the monolithic, one-size-fits-all MES solutions of the past. Instead, we're focusing on flexible frontline operations platforms like Tulip that can be customised to our clients’ unique needs and workflows. We like to put people front and centre at Coretecs, and as Jurgen points out, that includes the shop floor:

“We need to help operators on the shop floor, who have to execute their processes on a daily basis, following a certain batch on paper and making manual notes that need to be validated by someone else. By giving operators access to digital tools and real-time data, we can empower them to work more efficiently, help them reduce process errors, and let them focus on higher-value tasks.”

-Jurgen

Artificial and human intelligence

If there's one technology that dominated the conversation in 2024, it's artificial intelligence. Thanks to the continued success of Large Language Model (LLM)-based tools like ChatGPT and a push by tech giants, AI seems to have gained a solid foothold on offices worldwide. But what about factories?

Well, there's no denying that AI (as a whole, not just LLMs) is a powerful tool for specific applications. Just think of areas like quality control, where our computer vision solutions have already shown impressive results. But we're not about chasing the hype – and neither is the manufacturing industry.  

That's why we continue to focus on practical AI use cases that deliver real value. We work with our clients to identify projects that have a clear end goal that can be achieved by leveraging these technologies. Just like with our Unified Namespaces, we want to figure out what works for each individual client, instead of trying to shoehorn them into a solution that may not be the best fit.

To do all of this, we're continuing to invest in our team. Just like in 2024, we want to both bring new talent on board and further develop the expertise of our existing people. Because at the end of the day, it's our people who make everything possible. We've built a team that's not just technically skilled but also passionate about helping our clients succeed, and we'll expand it with similarly minded people in the year(s) to come.