Softing Announces Partnership with ILS Technology to Establish OPC-UA Connectivity in Industrial Automation
Pilot installations are expected early next year as partners collaborate to extend universal device connectivity into enterprise systems.
Softing AG, the leading technology provider of industrial automation and automotive electronics, today announced its partnership with ILS Technology LLC, an US-based industry leader in enabling intelligence through connectivity.
This powerful partnership enables Softing to combine a seamless integration of automation components like controllers and RFID readers with legacy and future-proof connectivity to IT infrastructures and intelligent devices. First pilot installations based on Windows, Linux and VxWorks are expected early next year.
Softing, a major supplier of OPC technology like OPC DA/AE and OPC Tunnelling, has agreed to fully integrate its high performing OPC UA interface into deviceWISE. ILS Technology's deviceWISE is a portable software platform that provides connectivity between devices on the factory floor and enterprise database systems like IBM DB2, IBM Websphere, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. Softing's OPC technology ensures a flawless data exchange between third party components, serving as the means to achieving a universal, Enterprise-wide communication standard. Existing and future third party products (hardware or software) are seamlessly integrated using OPC Servers.
"Softing is pleased to partner with ILS Technology to bring advanced industrial automation solutions to market," said Jürgen Lange, responsible for the OPC business at Softing. "The company's deviceWISE framework integrates seamlessly into our OPC edge solution and offers users unprecedented connectivity between manufacturing operations and the enterprise."
The Softing-ILS Technology partnership will create dedicated OPC UA solutions that allow manufacturers to realize their vertical integration concepts by expanding the distribution of control and data-collection functions from the factory floor into the enterprise level.
"The market adoption of the OPC-UA standard will be rapid and Softing will help companies achieve their goals for universal connectivity by offering a best-in-class edge solution that integrates deviceWISE technology," said Fred Yentz, chief operating officer of ILS Technology. "With deviceWISE embedded in Softing's OPC-UA Factory Gateway solutions, customers will have the ability to expand production-device connectivity into enterprise databases and applications to give decision makers access to real-time data for their operations. Based on this expanded access, Softing and ILS Technology will enable companies to make more intelligent decisions about their operations."
Craig Resnick, research director of the ARC Advisory Group summarizes and industry trend:
"Manufacturers are discovering that one of the most effective ways to improve operational efficiency is to transport data from the plant floor to the enterprise level in real-time. However, many of these same companies are finding substantial roadblocks to seamless transportation of data between two entirely different technology sets. The OPC-UA standard resolves this issue of interoperability and Softing and ILS Technology have devised a full-featured OPC-UA solution that addresses the challenges of interoperability."
About ILS Technology
ILS Technology LLC fundamentally changes the way companies share information within their own operations and with partners, customers, and suppliers. Our data connectivity products link production data with business intelligence to give you deep insights into operational performance and establish secure, reliable information chains. ILS Technology solutions bring greater precision to every stage of the production lifecycle, enabling real-time strategic decisions and more measurable results.