Copia Automation has formed a strategic partnership with Danieli Automation DIGI&MET to expand the use of Industrial DevOps practices across metals manufacturing operations in Italy and the United States. This collaboration reflects a broader industry shift toward applying modern software engineering methodologies within heavy industrial environments.
Key Elements of the Partnership
- Deployment of Industrial DevOps Platform: Danieli will adopt Copia’s Industrial DevOps platform to modernize its automation software workflows. The goal is to accelerate rollouts, enhance collaboration across engineering, operations, and quality teams, and improve consistency in code development and deployment.
- Enhanced Automation Software Lifecycle: The platform will enable robust version control, governance, and visibility across automation code used in multiple devices and environments. This reduces risks associated with manual interventions or untracked code changes.
- Cloud Compliance and Regulation: The implementation will leverage regional cloud infrastructure to ensure compliance with European regulations, including NIS2, while supporting cross-border operations.
Implications for AI and Manufacturing Leaders
- Bridging Automation and Modern Software Practices: The partnership highlights the convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), where DevOps methodologies like CI/CD and change tracking are being integrated into industrial workflows to enhance reliability and reduce downtime.
- Improved Uptime and Risk Reduction: By implementing source control, automated backup, change detection, and monitoring across automation systems, operations become more resilient to software-driven failures—critical in environments where code changes directly impact safety, quality, or productivity.
- Faster Innovation Cycles: Integrating DevOps into industrial operations enables faster deployment of updates, features, and fixes, helping manufacturers respond more quickly to market demands and internal continuous improvement initiatives.
- Scalable Governance of Industrial Code: As factories become more software-driven, maintaining structured governance over code changes becomes a competitive advantage, ensuring operational consistency and quality at scale.
Also Read: Siemens and Snowflake Unite to Streamline IT–OT Integration through Cloud for Manufacturing Industry
Strategic Considerations
- Cultural Shift and Change Management: Introducing Industrial DevOps requires a cultural change within manufacturing teams, shifting from a stability-first mindset to one that embraces controlled, frequent updates and continuous improvement.
- Integration Across Multi-Vendor Systems: Many industrial environments rely on diverse hardware and software vendors. Ensuring compatibility, versioning discipline, and seamless coordination across these systems will be a critical success factor.
- Security and Compliance Risks: As automation systems become more dynamic, organizations must ensure that accelerated update cycles do not introduce vulnerabilities, making strong governance and secure infrastructure essential.
Bottom Line
This partnership marks a pivotal step in advancing Industrial DevOps within the metals manufacturing sector. By combining Copia’s software lifecycle management capabilities with Danieli Automation DIGI&MET’s industrial expertise, the initiative sets a benchmark for how manufacturers can achieve higher uptime, faster innovation, and more resilient operations through AI-driven DevOps practices.
