Cooperation between AIM, OPC Foundation and PROFIBUS&PROFINET International
Scottsdale, AZ, May 24th, 2022: Everything is moving – this expression best describes the dynamics in production and logistics today. Products, robots, autonomous vehicles, and humans in between. To ensure a smooth production flow in such a mobile environment, machines and software systems need a common understanding of the positions of things in space.
Some associations have already dedicated themselves to the aspects of “location and positioning” in the past. Some OPC UA Companion Specifications already contain data descriptions in this regard. Coming from the aspect of identification, the association AIM-D e.V. published an OPC UA Companion Specification AutoID. The location standard omlox from PROFIBUS&PROFINET International (PI) allows seamless and technology-independent provision of location data in production and logistics.
The three associations have now joined forces to form a joint working group to develop a new OPC UA Companion Specification “Global Positioning”. The goal of the Companion Specification is to define geometric positions in space on a local and global level to ensure a seamless transition between production, intralogistics and logistics. It completes existing Companion Specifications with the aspect of positioning and allows location data from omlox systems to be easily further processed within the OPC world and refined with additional data.
“Interoperability is not only necessary between manufacturers, but also between standards,” says Dr. Matthias Jöst – Committee Leader for omlox – within PI. “In particular in the exchange between different communities, many synergies and new potentials arise.”
About AIM
AIM-D e.V. (or AIM for short), situated in Lampertheim, South Hesse, is the leading industry association for automatic data collection, identification (AutoID) and mobile IT systems. The association promotes the use and standardization of AutoID technologies and processes. Technologies such as RFID, NFC, barcodes, two-dimensional codes, industrial sensors and RTLS (real-time locating systems) are promoted in equal measure. AIM represents around 120 members in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. AIM members include companies of every size offering AutoID technologies and products, systems and services. This includes a host of university and research institutions, as well as other associations. Under the umbrella of AIM Global and AIM Europe, AIM supports the global competitiveness of its members.
For more information, contact:
Peter Altes
peter.altes@aim-d.de
About the OPC Foundation
Since 1996, the OPC Foundation has facilitated the development and adoption of the OPC information exchange standards. As both advocate and custodian of these specifications, the Foundation’s mission is to help industry vendors, end-users, and software developers maintain interoperability in their manufacturing and automation assets. The OPC Foundation is dedicated to providing the best specifications, technology, process, and certification to achieve multivendor, multiplatform, secure, reliable, interoperability for moving data and information from the embedded world to the enterprise cloud. The Foundation serves over 860 members worldwide in the Industrial Automation, IT, IoT, IIoT, M2M, Industrie 4.0, Building Automation, machine tools, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and Smart Energy sectors. For more information about the OPC Foundation, please visit www.opcfoundation.org .
For more information, contact:
Stefan Hoppe
Stefan.Hoppe@OPCFoundation.org
About PI
Over 30 years ago, the PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO) initiated the foundation of a large, global community which has come together under the PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) umbrella organization. With 25 regional user organizations in every international market, around 1,700 member companies and many thousands of different products, PI is the largest interest group for industrial automation technology. Its global network includes most manufacturers and users from every industry. The technologies cover every key market of industrial automation, from production automation to process automation to motion control and safety applications. PROFIBUS, the leading fieldbus – PROFINET, the leading Ethernet standard – IO-Link, the leading sensor/actuator communication system – and omlox, the open and interoperable standard for real-time locating – are available automation technologies with future potential enabling production in the “Industry 4.0” generation.
For more information, contact:
Barbara Weber
Barbara.Weber@profibus.com
About omlox
Omlox, the world’s first open location standard for industry, unifies location data from all location technologies in a central middleware and enables technology and vendor independent location of all moving objects. In addition, it defines an interoperable Ultra-Wideband positioning system that allows real-time positioning in complex production environments.
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