Is Your Manufacturing Facility Ready for Virtual Control?

Virtual controllers have long been part of the industrial automation conversation, but advances in computing, networking, and digital twin technologies are bringing them back into focus. As manufacturers evaluate modernization strategies, a key question remains: when does virtualization make sense on the plant floor?

 In a recent episode of Automation World Get Your Questions Answered, host David Greenfield speaks with Jayesh Jariwala, Senior Project Engineer to explore how virtualized control systems perform in real manufacturing environments.  

TAKEAWAYS

Virtualization isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It works well in structured, repeatable environments like batch processes or testing, and highly time-sensitive applications still rely on physical controllers for deterministic performance.

Infrastructure is often the deciding factor. Network design, power reliability, and system sizing play a bigger role in success than the controller itself, especially in older facilities.

Reliability must be engineered. Redundancy, failover, and system behavior during disruptions don’t happen automatically in virtual environments without intentional design.

WHY IT MATTERS

Getting virtualization right can reduce risk, improve uptime, and prevent unnecessary capital spend.

Before virtualizing control systems, engineers should ask:

• Does the process tolerate additional latency and abstraction layers?
• Is the network designed for convergence, redundancy, and diagnostics?
• Are power and UPS systems engineered for control availability—not just IT needs?
• How are failover and restart behaviors validated?
• Are we reducing risk—or adding complexity to solve a non‑problem?

HOW ACE PROVIDES SUPPORT

ACE supports engineering teams by:

• Evaluating where virtualization makes technical sense—and where it doesn’t
• Designing resilient architectures across OT and networking layers
• Identifying infrastructure gaps before they become failures
• Supporting systems through commissioning, validation, and production operation

BOTTOM LINE

Manufacturers benefit most when they ask not only “Can we virtualize?” but “Should we—and why?”

Listen to the full Automation World Get Your Questions Answered podcast to gain deeper insight into how virtual controllers are being applied in real manufacturing environments.