💡What we do

Learn how FLECS helps machine builders, component makers, operators, and developers create scalable automation solutions with apps and marketplaces.

Making industrial software scalable without shifting roles or ownership

Industrial automation does not suffer from a lack of innovation. It suffers from a scaling problem.

Across the automation ecosystem, valuable software is developed every day:

• by component manufacturers as device software and digital add-ons

• by machine builders and OEMs as machine logic, services, and options

• by system integrators and engineering teams as project-specific solutions

• by app vendors as standard and specialized industrial applications

Each of these software assets is valuable on its own.

But without a shared software layer for operation, updates, and lifecycle management, this fragmentation leads to:

• high and repeated integration effort

• unclear responsibilities across vendors and roles

• inconsistent update processes

• increased operational and security risk

This is not a technical problem. It is a structural one.

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🧩 The platform logic behind FLECS

FLECS provides the shared software layer that industrial automation has been missing.

Instead of replacing existing systems, tools, or responsibilities, FLECS standardizes how industrial software is:

• packaged

• distributed

• deployed

• updated

• operated across its full lifecycle

FLECS runs on Linux-based industrial hardware and connects software, devices, and marketplaces into a consistent operational layer.

This allows all roles in the automation ecosystem to scale their software. Without losing ownership, branding, or customer relationships.

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🚫 What FLECS does not do

To avoid misunderstandings, FLECS is explicitly not:

• a replacement for PLCs, SCADA systems, or engineering environments

• a proprietary control system or closed ecosystem

• a customer-takeover marketplace

• a platform that shifts responsibility between roles

FLECS does not compete with its users. It provides the infrastructure that allows them to cooperate and scale.

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✅ What FLECS enables

By introducing a shared software layer, FLECS enables:

• Consistent software operation across machines, vendors, and environments

• Secure and manageable updates for industrial software

• Clear responsibility boundaries between all involved roles

• Scalable distribution models for industrial apps and services

• Operation across edge devices, PLCs, IPCs, and cloud-native environments

FLECS turns fragmented software delivery into a repeatable, auditable, and secure process.

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👥 Value by role

Machine Builders / OEMs

Machine builders are responsible for the overall system and therefore carry integration, security, and lifecycle risk.

With FLECS, OEMs can:

• build branded, vertical software platforms for their machines

• combine own software with selected third-party apps

• manage updates and options across the full machine lifecycle

• introduce digital services without creating new platform silos

Ownership, branding, and the customer relationship remain fully with the OEM.

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Component Manufacturers

Component manufacturers deliver high-quality hardware and increasingly sophisticated software, but often lack a scalable path into operation.

With FLECS, component manufacturers can:

• package their software in a standardized, deployable form

• maintain and update software independently of individual projects

• scale distribution across multiple OEMs and operators

• support security and CRA requirements through structured lifecycle management

Their software becomes operational, not just deliverable.

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Plant Operators

Plant operators run heterogeneous environments with machines from many vendors and generations.

With FLECS, operators can:

• roll out software consistently across the plant

• reduce platform sprawl and vendor-specific tooling

• operate updates and security patches in a controlled manner

• gain clearer responsibility and transparency across systems

The result is a more stable, secure, and manageable automation environment.

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App Vendors & Developers

Industrial software vendors need a scalable way to reach machines, without building and maintaining their own infrastructure.

With FLECS, app vendors can:

• publish and distribute industrial apps in a standardized way

• reach OEMs, operators, and integrators through marketplaces

• evolve from single apps to full, branded software ecosystems

• retain control over licensing, pricing, and support

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🛍 Marketplace as a consequence – not the core

Marketplaces are a natural result of standardized software operation.

FLECS enables Marketplace as a Service:

• fully branded marketplaces under your control

• curated app catalogs for specific machines or industries

• integrated licensing, deployment, and update management

The marketplace is not a sales channel takeover. It is an operational interface built on top of the shared FLECS software layer.

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🎯 In summary

FLECS does not introduce another platform silo.

It introduces the shared software layer that allows industrial automation to scale:

• across roles

• across vendors

• across machines

• across lifecycles

If you build, deliver, operate, or extend industrial automation systems, FLECS provides the foundation to do so consistently, securely, and at scale.