WolkAbout and Phoenix Contact Partner to Bring AI to the Factory Floor

Nevena Nemeš
Oct 8
3 min read

The line between operational technology (OT) and artificial intelligence (AI) is getting thinner, and that’s exactly where our partnership with Phoenix Contact begins.

Together, we’re making industrial AI more practical, accessible, and scalable by combining Phoenix Contact’s PLCnext Technology with WolkAbout’s industrial data management and AI enablement platform.

The result: factories and utilities can now transform raw machine data into AI-ready context without adding extra hardware, rewriting code, or disrupting operations.

From Controllers to Context

For years, industrial teams have struggled to make AI useful on the plant floor. The challenge wasn’t in the models, but in the data: too fragmented, too isolated, and often locked inside proprietary systems.

That’s where this partnership changes the story.

With WolkConnect, a lightweight IoT connector running natively on PLCnext Control, users can now stream machine data securely from edge to cloud, where WolkAbout AIrport automatically transforms it into structured, semantic data products.

It’s a direct bridge between machines and intelligence, giving teams immediate access to clean, contextualized information that AI agents, analytics tools, and human operators can all understand.

No Hardware. No Lock-In. No Complexity.

The joint solution extends PLCnext’s open architecture with AI-driven data management, turning openness into a practical reality on the factory floor:

Native integration with PLCnext Control (AXC F 2152 and beyond)
Seamless semantic mapping of tags and signals
MQTT-based data streaming from edge to any cloud or on-prem system
Unified namespace for full interoperability across OT and IT systems
Scalable upgrade path to the full WolkAbout AIrport suite, including logic engines, AI agents, and enterprise governance

In other words, companies can start small — with a connector that works out of the box — and grow into full industrial AI readiness as their needs evolve.

Designed for Openness and Built for Scalability

The future of industrial automation depends on collaboration.

Phoenix Contact’s open PLCnext ecosystem and WolkAbout’s AI-ready data architecture share the same vision: breaking down barriers between technologies, teams, and data.

By pairing PLCnext’s flexibility with WolkAbout’s semantic modeling and governance, organizations gain the foundation they need to build smarter, safer, and more autonomous operations, one layer at a time.

Why It Matters

Every industrial company today faces the same challenge: how to use its data to make faster, smarter decisions. This partnership gives them the tools to do exactly that. Securely, transparently, and without the usual trade-offs.

“Industrial teams want to move quickly with AI and analytics, but their data is often fragmented, undocumented, or trapped in legacy systems,” says Branko Milikić, CEO of WolkAbout. “AIrport unlocks that data, enriches it with context, and delivers it in a format that both engineers and AI models can use, all without changing their existing stack.”

And the impact is already clear in the field.

“Connecting our PLCnext took us only 30 minutes, and all OT data became instantly available on the IT Databus.” says Damian Bombeeck, Technical Consultant at Phoenix Contact. “With AWS IoT Core, we needed four days. WolkAbout’s platform is an excellent building tool — a great product that’s greatly improving our offering.”

Moving the Industry Forward

Together, Phoenix Contact and WolkAbout are making industrial data interoperable, explainable, and ready for AI. It’s a partnership that closes one of the biggest gaps in the industry, and opens the door to the next generation of intelligent, connected operations.

About Phoenix Contact

Phoenix Contact is a global market leader headquartered in Germany. The group stands for advanced products and solutions for comprehensive electrification, networking, and automation across all sectors of the economy and infrastructure.

A global network in more than 100 countries with over 22,000 employees ensures close proximity to customers worldwide.

With a broad and innovative product portfolio, Phoenix Contact delivers sustainable solutions across industries, particularly in the target markets of energy, infrastructure, industry, and mobility.