The Software-Defined Factory: A Practical Modernization Blueprint for the Plant Floor
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Summary
Rising technical debt, rigid hardware lock-in, and expanding cybersecurity threats demand continuous software updates, real-time data access, and scalable industrial AI. Yet, for plant managers bound by multi-decade capital assets, forcing a total hardware replacement is an operational non-starter.
This webinar outlines Software-Defined Manufacturing—a practical operating model that decouples high-value industrial software from physical hardware. By establishing an open, enterprise-grade foundation at the operations level, discrete manufacturers can modernize incrementally without risking production uptime or real-time determinism.
Join executive leadership from ABB, Red Hat, and Intel as they share diverse perspectives across the industrial spectrum on how to bridge IT and OT cultures, eliminate proprietary hardware lock-in, and establish the mandatory infrastructure required for agentic AI on the shop floor.
Key Takeaway:
-Protect Existing Assets: Adopt cloud-native software agility alongside legacy control hardware without costly, disruptive tear-outs.
-De-Risk Operational AI: Stream real-time plant data into analytics and AI models via governed interfaces that protect primary control loops
-Eliminate Hardware Lock-In: Deploy software workloads flexibly across IPCs, edge clusters, or plant data centers based on operational priority.
-Unify IT & OT Governance: Align enterprise security and policy management with OT’s strict zero-downtime requirements under one software foundation.
Speakers
Kelly Switt
Head of Industrial Business
Red Hat
Kelly leads the industrial strategy globally at Red Hat. She is a transformation strategist who partners with executives to drive client-centric transformation. Over the past 25 years, her focused approach has led these organizations to achieve goals from securing marketing share through new product entrance, M&A integration and operational digitization.
Stefan Basenach
SVP, Automation Technology
ABB
Stefan Basenach is SVP, Automation Technology, at ABB. He has been with the company for more than 20 years. From July 2012 to May 2014, he served as a board member for Industrial Defender USA, and his leadership was pivotal during ABB Technology Ventures' investment in Industrial Defender, which eventually culminated in a successful acquisition by Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2014. He is committed to the implementation of sustainable practices and was instrumental in leading ABB Process Automation Energy Division in Germany in the drive to support the energy industry in their energy transition journey towards a net zero economy. Basenach's educational background includes a Diplom Ingenieur degree in Technische Kybernetik from the University of Stuttgart, where he specialized in Control Methodology for technical and non-technical systems with a focus on Biochemical Engineering.
Ricky Watts
General Manager & Sr. Director, Industrial and Robotic Division
Intel
Ricky is GM and Sr Director of Intel’s Industrial and Robotic Division, leading initiatives in smart manufacturing, robotics, and software-defined edge infrastructure. With over 30 years of global leadership at Intel, Wind River, and Motorola, Ricky specializes in enabling AI-powered autonomous systems across control automation, energy, and transportation.
Moderator
