HollySys developed its own programmable logic and MC series motion controllers for factory automation which needed to be able to communicate with a broad range of third party systems. This flexibility was needed because these controllers are used in a wide range of control applications including: cutting equipment (e.g. laser cutting); industrial robots (e.g. assembly robots); metallurgical processing equipment (e.g.flying shears); engraving and milling equipment; dispensing equipment; extrusion equipment; wire drawing equipment; CNC machine tools, and various automatic production lines requiring high speed and precision.
Hollysys wanted to embed OPC UA connectivity in its controllers to ensure they could easily integrate with third party systems. After four years of effort, Hollysys was dissatisfied with the limited progress made with the OPC UA implementation and decided instead to find a new OPC UA software development kit that was sufficiently scalable to work in embedded environments and delivered superior performance. Excellent local technical support was another important criteria.