CRA reporting duty: 24 hours, from the moment you know
Article 14 of the Cyber Resilience Act has applied since 11 September 2026 — including to machines already in the field. Which deadlines run, and what you need to answer them.
Knowledge
Articles for machine building and automation.
Cyber Resilience Act, virtual PLCs and AI in automation — explained for the people who have to put it into practice.
The topics
Cyber Resilience Act
Deadlines, reporting duties and what they mean for delivered machines.
Software updates in the field
How updates reach delivered machines — in stages and with evidence.
Virtual PLC
What a virtual PLC is, what it is good for and who owns the software.
AI in automation
How AI agents write, build and roll out control software.
All articles
Margo before its first release: what machine builders gain
Preview Release 2 is out and the first general release is planned for 2026. What the open edge standard changes in practice — and what you can do today.
NIS2 missed? What machine builders have to catch up on
BSI registration was due on 6 March, the extension on 31 July. Both are gone — the obligation is not. What to do now, in the order that actually works.
Siemens is virtualising the PLC too. Who owns the software?
Siemens put the S7-1500V centre stage at Hannover Messe 2026. The virtual PLC is settled. The follow-up question is not: hardware-free is not vendor-free.
From manual labor to AI co-creation: Why we no longer have to program the PLC like it’s 1995
Bernhard Böhrer on PLC development beyond 1995: the controller becomes an app — and a validating AI workflow produces code checked against the IEC standards.
Automation rethought: app instead of PLC + HMI
Instead of engineering PLC and HMI separately: control logic, visualization, testing and deployment become one automation app — in the browser, in IEC 61131.
