Open Process Automation: Why Most Traditional Control Vendors Will Struggle or Fail – and Why True Openness

Matters
Authored by Trevor Cusworth

Introduction
Open Process Automation (OPA) is redefining the industrial control landscape through modularity, vendor neutrality, interoperability, and lifecycle flexibility. However, most legacy control system providers remain fundamentally misaligned with OPA’s core principles and technical requirements. As the industry accelerates toward open standards, it is critical for engineering teams to understand why traditional vendors are likely to falter—and how to achieve genuine openness.

Key Challenges Facing Legacy Control System Vendors

Legacy System Integration & Proprietary Architectures
Traditional platforms are built on closed, vertically integrated technology stacks. Integrating new components—or replacing old ones—from outside the original supplier’s ecosystem introduces incompatibility issues, lack of open APIs, and expensive retrofit costs. Achieving seamless integration with open systems often requires extensive redevelopment, middleware solutions, or wholesale system replacement, resulting in significant operational downtime.

Vendor Lock-In & Business Model Resistance
For decades, end users have been tied to exclusive hardware, software, and support contracts. Shifting to vendor-neutral architectures threatens these revenue streams, leading to organizational resistance and sluggish change. Most vendors lack incentives to enable modular upgrades when proprietary lock-in ensures future business.

Technical Debt & High Switching Costs
Legacy installations rely on outdated firmware, hardware, and communication protocols. Transitioning to open standards involves considerable switching costs and operational risks—especially for mission-critical or regulated environments. Piecemeal upgrades and proprietary interfaces worsen system complexity, intensify cybersecurity threats, and increase lifecycle management burdens.

Workforce & Training Gaps
Engineering teams are often specialized in legacy vendor tools, workflows, and architectures. Transitioning to open standards and modular platforms demands extensive retraining, new hiring, and cultural change. This extends transition timelines and increases the likelihood of maintenance errors or outages.

Change Management & Organizational Resistance
Successful OPA migration requires new operational strategies, cross-functional collaboration, and support from both executive and technical leadership. Fear of incompatibility, disruption, and uncertainty can provoke resistance at all levels unless a clear vision, success metrics, and adoption incentives are in place.

Common Misconceptions About Openness and Compliance

Software-Defined Automation Is Not Always Open
Separation of control logic from hardware (i.e., ‘software-defined automation’) does not guarantee modularity or vendor neutrality. Many platforms are virtualized but still proprietary underneath. True openness demands O-PAS-conformant architectures—modular, standardized hardware, software, and interfaces.

OPC-UA Support Is Not O-PAS Compliance
OPC-UA is only one communication protocol within O-PAS, not a guarantee of future-proof compliance. O-PAS sets rigorous requirements across interfaces, security, certificate management, and profile-based certification. Merely adopting OPC-UA cannot provide the robust interoperability and lifecycle management demanded by OPA.

‘OPA-Aligned’ Does Not Mean O-PAS Compliant
Claims of being ‘OPA-aligned’ are frequently marketing-driven. True O-PAS compliance demands formal certification by The Open Group, based on stringent modularity and interoperability profiles. Without certification, ‘alignment’ is simply branding—users risk ending up with non-compliant, non-interoperable systems locked into proprietary upgrade paths.

Why Companies Built for Openness Like CSI Automation Excel

• OPA-Native Engineering:
  CSI Automation designs and builds systems that natively comply with O-PAS standards, ensuring every component is modular, interoperable, and lifecycle-independent.
• Certified Vendor Neutrality:
  CSI is committed to transparent, profile-based compliance—minimizing disruptions and safeguarding customers from vendor lock-in.
• Strategic Industry Partnerships:
  Collaborating actively with key industry groups, CSI shares expertise and best practices to help organizations advance their automation strategies.
• Comprehensive Support:
  From consulting and integration to ongoing training, CSI ensures that customers fully realize the operational and business benefits of next-generation open automation.

Summary Table: Traditional Vendors vs. OPA-Native Providers (CSI)

About CSI Automation

Collaborative Systems Integration (CSI Automation) is the world’s first company solely focused on designing, implementing, and advancing truly open process control systems. Founded by industry visionary Don Bartusiak—former ExxonMobil Chief Automation Engineer and co-chair of the Open Process Automation Forum—CSI leads the industry in modular, vendor-neutral automation. Each principal boasts over 35 years of expertise in process control and IT, combining technical depth with collaborative client support across industries ranging from chemicals, oil & gas, and pharmaceuticals to mining, energy, and water treatment.

CSI partners with strategic industry alliances such as COPA, leveraging the latest technologies and scalable solutions. CSI’s mission is to help organizations move beyond the limitations of legacy systems, deploying compliant, interoperable architectures that unlock flexibility, security, and business growth. Whether pursuing digital transformation or incremental improvements, CSI delivers integrated solutions and knowledge transfer for next-generation industrial automation.

Discover more at www.csi-automation.com.

About the Author: Trevor Cusworth

Trevor Cusworth is an industrial automation business development and marketing professional, focused on advancing Open Process Automation (OPA) technologies .

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