Watlow EPM Data: Chart Recorders Are Getting a Digital Successor
If your furnace, oven or sterilizer still feeds a chart recorder, audit day probably goes like this: pull the records, reconcile the timestamps, and hope nobody asks about the gap from last March. Watlow wants to retire that routine.
In late June 2026, Watlow launched its Edge Process Management™ (EPM™) platform. Watlow describes it as a modular, distributed architecture that brings data management, process control and automation together for temperature-driven operations in regulated industries. The first piece to ship is EPM Data, a family of panel-mount recorders plus review software. It's built for one job: producing a process record that holds up under scrutiny.
What's in the first release
According to Watlow's announcement and product page, EPM Data launches with three pieces:
- EPM-07: a 7-inch widescreen unit with 9 I/O module slots and up to 27 high-precision analog input channels onboard. Watlow positions it for smaller furnaces, ovens and skids.
- EPM-15: a 15-inch widescreen unit with 18 I/O module slots and up to 54 high-precision analog input channels onboard. It's meant for larger or multizone systems that need more channels.
- Data Reviewer™ software: for viewing historical process data and supporting review, approval and audit workflows, with optional audit trail and electronic signature functions.
Watlow also lists an EPM I/O Extender module as "coming October 2026." It adds channels without extra external hardware.
Why this matters on the plant floor
It targets the standards you're audited to. Watlow says EPM Data offers high-precision inputs with field calibration accuracy suitable for AMS2750 (pyrometry for aerospace heat treating) and CQI-9 (the automotive heat treat system assessment). It also produces secure, tamper-resistant records designed to support FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11. If you're a commercial heat treater, a captive heat treat shop or a life-science manufacturer, those are the documents your auditors bring.
It's designed to drop into existing panels. For retrofits this may be the most practical detail: Watlow says the form factor is designed for legacy panel cut-outs, so it can directly replace existing paper and digital chart recorders with minimal panel modification. Less sheet-metal work means less downtime.
One record, many users. Watlow's pitch is that operators, engineers, quality and auditors all work from the same time-stamped record, instead of each group rebuilding its own version. Configuration changes and user actions are logged automatically, creating a reviewable audit trail.
Built with IT/OT separation in mind. The units have multiple Ethernet ports so IT and OT networks can stay separate, plus an embedded HTML5 web server for browser-based remote viewing. Optional gateways can send data on to cloud analytics. Field-replaceable HMI and I/O modules are meant to make service simpler.
In Watlow's own words, from Chris Mooney, Industrial Controls Segment Director: "The process record has effectively become part of the product."
Who should pay attention
Watlow lists metals, heat treatment, life sciences, power generation, water and wastewater, environmental monitoring, and food and beverage as target industries. In practice, EPM Data is worth a look if:
- You're still buying chart paper and pens, or your digital recorder is at end-of-life.
- You face AMS2750, CQI-9, Nadcap or customer audits and spend too many hours assembling records.
- You run 21 CFR Part 11 or Annex 11 processes where electronic records and signatures have to hold up.
- You're planning a panel rebuild anyway and want recording, control and connectivity designed together.
A note on availability
Plan ahead. Watlow says EPM Data devices and Data Reviewer software are being introduced to selected customers first, with broader availability planned through Watlow's global sales and distribution network. More modular expansion options will follow. EPM Data is also billed as "the first step in a broader platform roadmap," so expect more pieces over time.
Where it fits with what you already run
A recorder records; it doesn't replace your loop control. Most thermal systems still pair a dedicated controller with the heater, the sensor and the power switching device. If you're weighing options:
- Keep your control loop tight. Watlow's F4T and profiling controllers cover ramp/soak and multi-step recipes.
- Need basic data logging on a PID loop today? Our shop lists Watlow RMA PLUS remote access modules with data-logging options alongside our EZ-ZONE PM PLUS stock. That's a different tool from a compliance-grade recorder, but worth knowing about.
- Rebuilding the whole panel? Entherm designs and builds custom control panels and can plan the recorder, controllers, power controls and wiring together.
The bottom line
Auditors ask for records, not trend screens, and Watlow built EPM Data around that fact. If a paper or aging digital recorder is part of your quality system, now is a good time to put a replacement on the 2027 budget. Since the first release is going to selected customers, it pays to start the conversation early.
Want to know whether EPM Data fits your furnace, oven or skid, and what availability looks like? Contact Entherm at sales@entherm.com or 1-877-368-4376. Browse our in-stock controls in the meantime.
Sources
- Watlow, "Watlow® launches Edge Process Management™ platform for trusted process records in regulated industries," press release, 06/30/2026. https://www.watlow.com/en/about-watlow/news/watlow-launches-edge-process-management-platform-for-trusted-process-records-in-regulated-industries
- Watlow, "Edge Process Management (EPM)" product page (EPM-07/EPM-15 slot and channel counts, legacy cut-out fit, IT/OT networking, I/O Extender "Coming October 2026"). Accessed Sep 27, 2026. https://www.watlow.com/en/products/edge-process-management
- Industrial Compliance, "Watlow launches Edge Process Management platform for trusted process records in regulated industries," Jul 2, 2026 (confirms EPM-07 and EPM-15 positioning). https://industrial-compliance.co.uk/watlow-edge-process-management/
- Entherm shop listing, Watlow RMA PLUS remote access module (data logging). https://www.entherminc.com/shop/p/rma-plus-remote-access-module-data-logging-16g-watlow