Microsoft Corp. and the BMW Group announced the Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) initiative to enable faster, more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector. The OMP will be compatible with the existing Industry 4.0 reference architecture, leveraging the industrial interoperability standard OPC UA.
Connecting OPC Classic clients and servers when the Windows computers are not on the same version, not in an Active Directory or domain, and having everything work well takes skill, and keeping it secure involves a lot of details. OPC UA makes such situations infinitely more workable by taking the limitations, pitfalls, and inconsistencies of DCOM out of the equation. However, the security of an OPC UA connection is only as good as the encryption algorithm being used to encrypt it.
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) conduct interdisciplinary energy research in the building and mobility sectors. Empa relies on OPC UA to interconnect its research infrastructure – specifically, three large-scale projects named “NEST,” “ehub” and “move,” plus all the components involved in producing, storing, transporting and converting energy.
Beckhoff Automation has announced greater integration of OPC UA communication technology into TwinCAT Scope software. In the context of Industrie 4.0 and big data applications, machine data acquisition via OPC UA and analytics tools are becoming increasingly important. TwinCAT Scope software provides optimum support for integrated data acquisition across heterogeneous system environments.
Asset Performance Monitor is B&R’s first cloud application based on ABB Ability. By giving OEMs a reliable overview of all their machines in the field, it allows them to identify potential improvements, take service operations to the next level and unlock new business models and revenue streams. OPC UA guarantees the secure data transfer from the machine to the cloud.
Every year, Tefal SAS manufactures around 44 million products in what was a high energy-consuming process. They sought an energy management system that could be implemented without revising their existing architecture. Tefal ultimately decided upon ICONICS software and OPC communications, which now handle energy data from multiple meters, transformers, and PLCs.
It is an honor and I am happy to send you my first “President’s Welcome” greeting! We all are pleased to announce that OPC UA is omnipresent in magazine articles, industry fairs, manufacturer events, conference contributions, social media, and more. OPC UA is rightly being called the key or enabler for Industrie 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the various initiatives from the USA (IIC), China (Made in China 2025), Korea (Manufacturing Industry Innovation 3.0), Japan (Industrial Value Chain Initiative) and others. I am therefore looking forward to the exciting times ahead and working together with you.
Join the OPC Foundation and a host of co-presenters at the World Interoperability Conference, held in conjunction with Hannover Fair. This watershed event takes place April 1st in Hall 19/20 Room New York from 12:00 – 15:30. It is free of charge to attend, but pre-registration is required.
Welcome to the Compliance Corner. We are proud to announce the OPC Foundation has certified its first product ever for an OPC UA Companion Specification Information Model. In this case, MDIS. Other updates here include results from our most recent InterOp and plans for the Conformance Test Tool (CTT).
Intel recently rejoined the OPC Foundation to participate in the OPC UA Field Level Communication Steering Committee and help develop specifications that will enable OPC UA to seamlessly communicate with field devices. We view OPC UA as well positioned to provide communications solutions for smart manufacturing as well as other verticals.