On October 27, Dr. Alexander Broos, Director of the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) will delight all visitors of the Asset Performance 4.0 Conference with a keynote presentation on the importance of manufacturing technology specifications and the umati community’s role in standardising data communication.
Leading up to the conference, he already shared with us his fascinating insights on the rapidly changing world of industrial and manufacturing technology and how data transactions can be managed effectively in the age of industry 4.0.
Manufacturing In Our Data-driven Economy
Traditionally, big companies collect data in their own proprietary systems. But smaller companies and start-ups don’t have the funds to do this and rely on basic off-the-shelf data management systems like Excel.
Times are changing. Manufacturers are wondering why their health data can be sent to their smartphone, but still it seems impossible to link up their milling machine, robot and inspection devices. Thus, there is a growing trend for increased data integration between industrial equipment and devices.
The Importance Of Trust
Trust is a complicated matter in the industrial sector. There are multiple equipment and shop floor machinery makers and tech companies with different data systems speaking different languages. Often, you find 20-year-old legacy equipment and IT systems running alongside cutting-edge IIoT tech. Those legacy systems took 100,000s or millions of Euros to develop, and nobody is willing to throw away that kind of investment due to connection issues.
Open interfaces such as OPC UA are becoming more prevalent. These are communication frameworks that help transfer signals and data between machines and devices, but require high levels of trust.
In recent years, equipment producers have taken to defining the OPC UA Companion Specifications for their product technologies, making their own dictionaries. Machine users end up with dozens of different standards, each one needing to be added to their production IT. To counter this, umati promotes and facilitates the implementation of open, standardised interfaces based on OPC UA, built from the bottom up.
Their philosophy is that data should be transmitted and channelled through unified implementation of these multiple standards. Machine makers should be able to test and prove compliance against agreed standards, thus building trust in quality, well-integrated products.
Building Trust In Open Interfaces
In recent years, groups of equipment producers have taken to defining OPC UA Companion Specifications for their product technologies, creating their own dictionaries. For instance, the dictionary you need for a machine tool would be different to that of a robot, or a paper-mill, or a chemical processor.
In other words, each technology group is producing a new set of standards for their equipment. Machine users, who usually use a variety of equipment and technologies, are ending up with dozens of different standards, and each one needs to be added to their production IT.
This is where umati comes in.
umati promotes and facilitates the implementation of open, standardised interfaces based on OPC UA, built from the bottom up.
The philosophy of umati is that data should be transmitted and channeled through unified implementation of these multiple standards, with everything set up in the same way. Machine makers should be able to test and prove compliance against an agreed set of standards, thus making it easier for customers to see they are getting a quality product that will integrate smoothly. This will help to build trust in the way that data is transferred and used.
The umati Community
umati stands for Universal Machine Technology Interface. It’s a community of machinery makers, software producers and customers that combine to promote the use of OPC UA standards.
The aim is to improve standards, as well as provide unification, proof of functionality certification, and easier integration of machine communication. In doing so, umati acts as a quality control body for the industry.
Also high on umati’s agenda is Data Security. Currently, OPC UA lacks the tools and mechanisms to provide data security. Users can contact umati’s community of experts and avoid having to contact each machine maker individually.
It is difficult to see whether data has been tampered with at the moment. Blockchain may change this soon, but right now - trust is key. As umati is independent of the suppliers, they can help build trust across the community and build data security.
Data Security Is A High Priority
One example where umati paves the road is data security. Data must be transmitted and managed securely. Within OPC UA specifications, there already exist mechanisms to provide data security, but currently they are not widely available implemented into commercial controller or software developer kits. So the machinery industry is faced with a choice: wait for the OPC UA providers to embed these security features within their products, or take care of it themselves for the time being. For instance, by relying on appropriate VPN networks to cover the open ends. umati is designed to address these kind of issues.
umati also creates a feedback channel between machine makers and users. Rather than going to each machine maker or technology group individually and asking questions, the user can contact umati for help. By creating a community of experts and helping to standardise machine communication, umati is making life easier for the end users, especially the large number of SMEs amongst them.
In many ways, industrial companies treat data with more respect than personal tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. In the personal tech sphere, you have to trust those companies with your data, or use a piece of software as a barrier to protect your sensitive data. This isn’t the case in the industrial sector, as the big players such as Siemens or Mitsubishi do not have the power or scale to create a closed ecosystem like MS, Apple or Google.
Businesses need to be careful to protect data and put mechanisms in place to encrypt the data. It is difficult to see whether people have tampered with data at the moment. Technologies such as the blockchain may change this in the future, but right now, trust is the key factor. As umati is independent of individual suppliers, we can help to build trust across the community.
The Asset Performance 4.0 Hybrid Conference & Exhibition offers a unique opportunity to learn how new 4.0 technologies and fundamentals in operations, maintenance and asset management reinforce each other in order to achieve higher equipment reliability and cost performance in asset intensive industries.
Get ready for 3 inspiring days, during which you can participate in workshops, attend interesting presentations and discover all the newest technologies at the exhibition!
Three-day conference with in-depth expert presentations
Deep insights & practical experience during the workshops
Asset Performance Awards with keynote
Exhibition with +50 exhibitors
Extensive networking opportunities with peers and experts
Choose to participate live in Antwerp or join all sessions online – live or on demand
When? 26, 27 and 28 October 2021
Where? Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp, Belgium & online
More info & registrations via:
www.assetperformance.eu/2021
