What happens when developers, technology partners, users, and automation experts come together to discuss the future of industrial automation?
At the PLCnext Community Summit 2026, around 80 participants gathered at Yaskawa’s European headquarters in Hattersheim to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore the topics shaping the future of automation. Organized jointly by Phoenix Contact, Festo, and Yaskawa, the event highlighted the strength of an ecosystem built on openness, collaboration, and shared innovation.
An ecosystem in action
The summit opened with a strong commitment to open ecosystems. In his keynote, Tobias Unger, President & CEO of Yaskawa Europe, emphasized the importance of collaboration across company boundaries and reaffirmed Yaskawa’s commitment to PLCnext Technology and its growing ecosystem.
This spirit was visible throughout the event. At the Mini Expo, 16 companies showcased solutions, applications, and services built around PLCnext Technology. Together, they demonstrated how innovation emerges when different organizations contribute their expertise to a shared, open platform.
From Industrial AI to open ecosystems
The agenda reflected the broad range of topics currently transforming industrial automation. Presentations explored how Industrial AI can create practical value in engineering and production, while other contributions focused on interoperability, open ecosystems, robotics, motion control, app technologies, and collaboration across company boundaries. Although the topics were diverse, they shared a common goal: making industrial automation more intelligent, connected, and adaptable.
Why cybersecurity is gaining momentum
Among the many topics discussed, cybersecurity and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) generated particularly strong interest. As automation becomes increasingly connected and software-driven, security is evolving from a best practice into a business requirement. The summit therefore explored what this means in practice for app development, software maintenance, vulnerability management, and long-term lifecycle responsibilities. For open ecosystems, this raises an important question: How can openness and flexibility be preserved while security requirements continue to increase?
The discussions made one thing clear: Cybersecurity is no longer an optional feature. It is becoming a fundamental design principle for industrial automation. As these challenges affect the entire ecosystem, collaboration and knowledge sharing will be essential to turning regulatory requirements into practical solutions.
More than presentations
What makes the PLCnext Community Summit special is that the conversations continue beyond the stage. Whether during the Mini Expo, the open backlog discussions, the networking sessions, or informal conversations throughout the event, participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and contribute to the further development of the ecosystem.
Nearly ten years after the launch of PLCnext Technology, the Summit 2026 once again demonstrated how far the original vision has come. PLCnext Technology is more than an open automation platform. It has become a thriving ecosystem and a vibrant community.
Stay connected
The conversations do not stop when the summit ends. Stay informed about Industrial AI, cybersecurity, open automation, ecosystem developments, and community activities. Subscribe to the PLCnext Technology Newsletter for the latest technology insights, use cases, and upcoming event updates. You can find the newsletter subscription form at the bottom of the page.
