Here Stephen Hayes, managing director of automation and control technology specialist, Beckhoff UK, explains that by optimising traditional coding practices, businesses of all sizes can overcome this skills gap to reap productivity and efficiency gains.
The Programming Barrier
The programming barrier has long been a challenge for businesses wanting to implement automation systems. Traditionally, automation required specialised programming skills, limiting adoption to a small group of technical experts.
As a result, the complexity and steep learning curve made it difficult for smaller businesses or those without advanced technical staff to fully embrace automation.
With over 44,000 job vacancies in automation-related fields and a relatively low candidate pool — only nine applicants per job opening — businesses are struggling to find the specialised talent they need, including PLC programmers.
The goal is to make automation tools more intuitive and easier to integrate, broadening access for manufacturers without needing specialised programming knowledge.
Democratising Automation
Traditionally, implementing automation required deep technical knowledge and programming skills, making it exclusive to engineers or IT professionals.
Democratisation seeks to break down these barriers, enabling non-experts — such as small business owners, general staff or engineers with less programming experience — to use and benefit from automation systems.
Historically, automation efforts like record-playback allowed machinists to replicate their processes without advanced technical skills, empowering users to control their workflows. However, centralised systems designed for elite users often hindered the widespread adoption of such tools.
Today, this philosophy finds a parallel in the rise of low-code and no-code platforms. These platforms, such as Shopify and Airtable, allow users to build systems with intuitive interfaces, transforming passive technology consumers into active creators.
For example, Airtable's visual interface helps users build databases and automate workflows without writing code, while Shopify provides a similar platform for e-commerce businesses to design and run their operations. These tools excel in the digital domain, where managing workflows and data is essential.
However, in industrial automation, real-time performance and reliability are critical, and these platforms often fall short of meeting the complex demands of controlling machinery and systems.
This is during a period when industrial automation finds itself at a crossroads, with growing demands for faster, more efficient systems while simultaneously requiring easier access for a broader range of users.
The Programming Skills Gap
Traditionally, the complexity of industrial automation has required skilled engineers to design, implement and optimise control systems. However, as businesses face a widening skills gap and increased operational complexity, tools are needed to simplify the development and deployment of automation.
This transition is mirrored by broader IT trends, where methodologies like DevOps, which emphasise rapid deployment and efficiency, are starting to influence industrial automation.
With the rise of these practices, automation tools are evolving to help businesses deploy systems faster, cut down on hardware requirements and improve overall productivity.
Beckhoff’s TwinCAT PLC++ Solution
Beckhoff’s TwinCAT PLC++ addresses these challenges by combining the flexibility of IT methodologies with the stringent needs of industrial systems. Built on IEC 61131-3 programming standards, it provides an environment familiar to experienced engineers while lowering the barrier for newer developers.
What’s more, the system includes significant performance improvements, executing control code up to 1.5 times faster than the previous version, TwinCAT PLC, and offering an advanced compiler that boosts performance by up to three times.
This optimisation reduces the need for high-powered hardware, allowing companies to use more affordable industrial PCs and reallocate resources to enhance functionality or reduce cycle times.
Managing Complex Processes with TwinCAT PLC++
By integrating TwinCAT PLC++ with TwinCAT MC3, businesses can better manage complex processes too, optimising automation solutions and maintaining a competitive edge as the industry moves toward more accessible, high-performance systems.
TwinCAT PLC++ combines enhanced usability and performance, offering an ideal solution for companies aiming to modernise and future-proof their automation systems. This comes as low-code and no-code tools are influencing business automation, industrial automation is following a similar trajectory.
By simplifying development processes, platforms like TwinCAT PLC++ reduce complexity while addressing the intricate demands of machinery control, making automation more accessible to businesses of all sizes.
