Practical deployment and validation of an IoT based semantic interoperability approach for industrial interoperability in smart manufacturing

Industrial 5.0 emphasizes human central, resilient, and sustainable manufacturing. Achieving this vision requires seamless interoperability between various systems on the shop floor, including both automated systems and human workers. However, fragmentation of industrial protocols hampers efficient data exchange, delaying intelligent automation and digitalization. This paper presents SHOP4CF smooth data exchange and intelligent automation vision through the use case validation of the Web of Things Interoperability Layer (WoT-IL) as a solution to bridge the communication gaps between the heterogeneous industrial protocols. everaging FIWARE's context broker and OpenAPI specifications, WoT-IL enables standardized, semantic interoperability across sensors, PLCs, and higher-level systems. The component was deployed and evaluated in two real-world industrial pilots, demonstrating its ability to reduce manual configuration, enhance system flexibility, and support vendor-agnostic integration. Validation used a structured framework that evaluated functionality, integration, process improvement, human factors, and worker acceptance. Results confirm that WoT-IL significantly improves interoperability and automation readiness, positioning it as a key enabler for scalable, human-aware, and future-proof industrial ecosystems. This position WoT-IL as an enabler to improve automation, reduce system fragmentation, and support a more efficient, connected, and worker-friendly industrial environment.