If there is one topic that perfectly reflects where manufacturing is heading today, it is the ability to connect people, systems and data across the entire production environment. That is precisely why the theme of ABISS 2026 – Connecting Every OT/IT Dot in IIoT immediately resonated with us at Contec. As an exhibitor and partner of this year’s event, we see the same challenge every day while working alongside manufacturers across Europe, the UK, and the US. Companies continue to invest in automation, digital platforms and new production technologies, yet many still struggle with fragmented systems, isolated data and increasingly complex industrial environments. The real opportunity is about making existing technologies work together in a secure way. That conversation is exactly what makes ABISS one of the most relevant industrial events in Belgium.

This year also marks an important milestone for Contec as we celebrate 40 years of helping manufacturers transform their operations.

Looking back, it is remarkable how much manufacturing has evolved during those four decades. Projects that once focused on individual machines or production lines have gradually expanded into connected production environments where automation, industrial IT, manufacturing systems and cybersecurity all play an equally important role.

In many ways, the theme of ABISS tells the same story.

The industry’s biggest challenge is no longer deciding whether factories should become digital. That decision has already been made. Today’s challenge is understanding how to connect machines, applications, people and data in a way that creates real operational value while remaining secure and scalable for years to come.

That evolution mirrors our own. As manufacturing has become more connected, our role has grown beyond automation projects to helping customers build integrated industrial environments where information flows seamlessly across the entire organisation.