For Immediate Release
Platform Industrie 4.0 Proposes Reference Architecture Model for Industrie 4.0: OPC-UA confirmed as one and only Standard in Category “Communication layer”
Scottsdale, AZ – April 14, 2015 – The Platform Industrie 4.0 (I4.0) announced at Hannover Messe 2015 a reference architecture model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0). RAMI 4.0 is a unified architecture model that serves the purpose of a common understanding, which standards, use-cases, standards etc. for I4.0 are necessary, and allows discussing associations and details. In RAMI 4.0 I4.0 components are defined in their structure and functioning. Thus it enables cross-company networking and integration across value added networks. Where meaningful, RAMI 4.0 builds on existing and relevant standards.
The Platform Industrie 4.0 trade organizations BITKOM (IT), VDMA (Mechanical Engineering) and ZVEI (Electronics) together collected and analyzed necessary or relevant standards for RAMI 4.0 in technically oriented working groups. In the category “Communication Layer” the OPC UA (IEC 62541) standard was thoroughly examined if adequate for RAMI 4.0 and as one and only confirmed. In other categories this was the case for: “Information Layer” IEC Common Data Dictionary (IEC 61360Series/ISO13584-42), Characteristics, Classification and Tools according to eCl@ss, Electronic Device Description (EDD) and Field Device Tool (FDT); for “Functional and Information Layer” Field Device Integration (FDI) as integration technology; and for the category “Consistent Engineering” AutomationML, ProSTEP iViP and eCl@ss.
“Companies like ThyssenKrupp are implementing Industrie 4.0 today. The availability of established communication protocols is mission critical for such a timely implementation; OPC-UA is here the best example!”, said Dr Achatz head of technology at ThyssenKrupp AG.
“We are proud the Platform Industrie 4.0 thoroughly analyzed OPC UA in the category “Communication Layer” and confirmed its relevance as the only standard for the reference architecture model for Industrie 4.0″ said Thomas J. Burke, President and Executive Director of the OPC Foundation. “This shows that the OPC Foundation is on the right track with our approach of secure, safe, manufacturer- and platform-independent communication for heterogeneous systems by means of OPC UA to become a global data exchange standard for Industrie 4.0 and the Internet of Things.”
“In RAMI 4.0 diverse aspects of a common model were brought together. Starting from vertical integration via consistency of engineering across the entire lifecycle to horizontal integration. For each of these areas OPC UA offers an essential contribution”, according to Stefan Hoppe, VP OPC Foundation. “In addition the powerful OPC UA modelling tool will play an important role for the area of semantics where machines, components and products need to be interpreted and understood by humans, software /-agents and -services. The OPC UA modelling capability has been a major reason for FDI and AutomationML as independent standards to choose to have their contents (the “what”) communicated on the basis of OPC UA (the “how”)”.
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 in industrial automation and related domains. The organization serves over 440 members worldwide in the Industrial Automation, IT, IoT, Building Automation, Oil & Gas and Smart Energy sectors. For more information about the OPC Foundation, please visit https://opcfoundation.org.
For more information, contact:
Thomas J. Burke, President
OPC Foundation
330-357-8012
Thomas.burke@opcfoundation.org
