A Comparative Study of OPC UA and MQTT in a Simulated Industrial Environment

The emergence of new technologies has profoundly transformed man- ufacturing industries, driving significant changes in production processes. The integration of advanced elements such as process automation, resource optimiza- tion, and device interconnectivity is shaping the development of next-generation Smart Factories. In Ecuador, despite being classified as a mid-level industrial country, there are notable opportunities for adopting Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance productivity and competitiveness. This research analyzes the performance of the OPC UA and MQTT commu- nication protocols as part of the FCI project aimed at implementing connectivity systems in a dry product filling plant at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering of the University of Guayaquil. A controlled simulation environment is used to eval- uate both protocols based on key network performance indicators (KPIs). The study employs various monitoring and analysis tools to assess protocol behavior and proposes specific optimizations to strengthen plant-level communication in- frastructure and support the transition toward a Smart Factory model.