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ACommunicationGapintheInternetofThings|AutomationWorld

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FEATUREARTICLE | February20,2015

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ACommunicationGapinthe
InternetofThings

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FILEDIN: IndustrialInternetofThings,Communication
Protocols/Standards

Asnewgroupstoutingnext
generationmanufacturingsproutup
aroundtheworld,theautomation
industryscramblestocreate
commoncommunicationstandards
toenableinteroperabilitybetween
plantfloorsystemsandtheInternet
ofThings.

AutomationDirect

BeckhoffAutomation

BoschRexroth

CCLinkPartnerAssociation

MitsubishiElectricAutomat...

MoxaAmericas,Inc.

OmronIndustrialAutomati...

ProComSol

RedLion

SiemensIndustry

YaskawaAmerica,Inc.

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Asnewgroups
toutingnext
generation
manufacturing
sproutuparound
theworld,the
automa
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ByStephanieNeil,AutomationWorldContributingWriter
Inanefforttobecomeoneofthemostresponsiblefoodcompaniesontheplanet,GeneralMills
hasembarkeduponamassiveglobalmissiontomakemorenutritiousproducts,reducethe
companysenvironmentalfootprint,andincreasethesafetyandsustainabilityofkey
ingredients.
Therearemanymovingpartsintheoverallplan,butoneprojectunderwayhastheITand
manufacturingteamworkingtostitchtogetherthesupplychainfromfieldtoforkthatis,the
flowofinformationandattributesoftheingredientfromthefarmtomanufacturingtoits
transformationintoafinishedproductandontothegroceryshelves,saysJimWetzel,

How Five Key Trends Are

Affecting Automation
Technology Evaluation

technicaldirectoratGeneralMills.

Related Articles

ReadMoreon:

Giventheproliferationofsensorsanddevicesthat
populatetheevergrowingcollectionofsmartobjects,
knownastheInternetofThings(IoT),onemightthink

Topics>IndustrialInternetof

gatheringinformationfromoutsideoftheenterpriseis

Things

easytodo.Butthatsnotthecase,especiallywhen
Operational
Intelligenceforthe
InternetofThings

tryingtokeepdataintegrityintactwhileinterfacingwith
myriadexternalsystems.ButWetzel,whoisalsochair
oftheSmartManufacturingLeadershipCoalition
(SMLC)anonprofitorganizationcomprisedof

Manufacturingin
America:TheState
oftheIndustry

manufacturers,technologycompanies,academia,and
U.S.governmentagenciesandlaboratoriesisleading

WEBINARS
TrendsinManufacturingLight
WeightRobotsandDesktop
Automation
ChangestoYourAutomation
ProgramsHappen.AreYou
ManagingThem?

anotherimportantmission:Solvetheunderlying
Wirelessandthe
ConnectedFactory

interoperabilityissuesacrossthemanufacturingvalue
chain.

Technologies>Communication

SMLCisdevelopinganopen,ubiquitousmanufacturing

Protocols/Standards

platformthat,accordingtoWetzel,canbefully

OMACPresents
PackMLWorkshop
atTheAutomation
Conference
AUnitedIndustrialNetwork

integratedandknowledgeenabledtomeetcross
industrybusinesscaseobjectives.Wearelookingfor

DigitizingComplexDiscrete
ManufacturingProcessesto
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MachineSafety101:Guidelines
forMeetingMachineSafety
DirectiveENISO138491

anarchitecturethatisnotanInternetofThings,butan
InternetofManufacturingthatallowssolutionstobe
connectedandapplied,hesays.

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ACommunicationGapintheInternetofThings|AutomationWorld
SMLCisnotaloneinitseffortstocreateasmarter

MAGAZINES

manufacturingecosystem.Therearemanygroups
Standardsand
Protocolsforthe
IndustrialInternet
ofThings

forming,fromtheIndustrialInternetConsortium(IIC,
withfoundersAT&T,Cisco,GeneralElectric,IBMand
Intel)totheAllSeenAlliance(aLinuxFoundation
collaborativeproject)totheGermangovernment
inspiredIndustry4.0initiative.Eachgrouphasaslightly

differentapproach,butallhavethegoalofadvancingmanufacturingbytakingadvantageofthe
globalIoTmarket,which,accordingtoInternationalDataCorp.,willgrowfrom$1.9trillionin
2013to$7.1trillionby2020.
Pilotprojectsandtestbedsareunderwaytoprovetheviabilityofeachgroupsrespective
referencearchitecture,andtocreateaconnectiveframeworkthatclosestheloopbetween

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industrialautomationandtheenterprise.Inthebigpicture,allhaveaneyeonimprovingglobal
operations,increasingcompetiveness,andevencreatingjobsbymakingiteasiertosetup
localmanufacturingsites.
Inaddition,theproductivitybenefitsofsmartmanufacturingdirectlyrelatetodecreased
downtimeandincreasedagility.Intodaysworld,analmondfarmerwillfaxusadocumentwith
producttestingattributes,suchasmoisture,weight,taste,andthatbecomesourcertificateof
analysis,whichweputinafilecabinet,Wetzelsays.Intomorrowsworldofsmart

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DavidGreenfield@DJGreenfield

manufacturing,werunthefaxthroughOCR[opticalcharacterrecognition]technology,store
thedataintheCloudandpushitintotheMES[manufacturingexecutionsystem]sothatthe
systemknowsthe[product]propertiesandadjuststherecipeofproductionaccordingly.
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Ofcourse,havingthislevelofinteroperabilityrequiresextractingdata
fromcontrolsystemsthattraditionallyoperateinaclosedloopinsidethe
plant.SowhileSMLCandotherindustrygroupsworkonopen,flexible

frameworks,theautomationcommunityisaddressingthecommunicationissues,which,
hopefully,willresultinindustrialIoTstandards.
WhenitcomestopassinginformationfromthecontrolsystemtotheCloud,wewanttodoitin
astandardway,saysMikeBryant,executivedirectorofPINorthAmericaandadministrative
directorfortheOPCFoundation.Thereneedstobeacommonlanguage,andthatpieceis
lackingrightnow.
DevelopingthelinguafrancaofIndustrialIoT
Enablinginteroperabilityacrosssuchalargelandscaperequiresatwoprongedapproachthat
looksattheenterprisefromtheClouddownandatmanufacturingfromthecontrollersup.We
arehittingitfrombothends,saysWesleySkeffington,principalengineeratGEGlobal
ResearchsRealTimeEmbeddedSystemsLaboratory.GEhasdevelopedasoftware
platform,calledPredix,whichcanconnectindustrialassetswiththeCloud.Inaddition,the
companyisworkingtoembedknowledgeintocontrollerssothattheyknowwhattodowhena
pieceofinformationisreceived.
Thekeyhereiscontext.
Besidesbasicinteroperability,youhavetogettheboxestotalkthesamelanguagetomake
useofthedata,Skeffingtonsays.And,forthat,theindustryneedsnewsemanticstandards.
Semanticinteroperabilityhappensbyembeddingcontext,soasthedataaggregatesup
throughthesystems,youarenottryingtofindtheModbusregisterlisttoidentifywhattheheck
thedatais.
Tothatend,theOPCFoundation,thegroupresponsiblefordevelopingandmaintainingOPC
UA,anopenplatforminteroperabilitystandardforindustrialautomation,isworkingtofigureout
whatthatIoTsyntaxmodellookslike.Moreimportantly,theeffortunderwaybytheOPC
Foundationandothersisfocusedonleveragingexistingautomationstandardssothat
manufacturersarenotreinventingthewheel.
InadditiontoOPCUA,therearemanynetwork,fieldbusandmachinecommunication

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ACommunicationGapintheInternetofThings|AutomationWorld

protocolsandstandardsthatprovideinteroperabilityontheplantfloor.Andthat,industry
expertssay,isprovidingasolidfoundationforIoT.
ThegoalofIndustry4.0isnotto[moveeverythingintothe]ITworld,itistomakemachines
moreefficientandeasiertomaintain,saysPeterFischbach,automationindustrysector
manageratBoschRexroth.Tothatend,thecompanysOpenCoreEngineeringproduct
connectstheworldsofPLCandITviaopenstandards,functiontoolkitsandaninterface
supportingnumerousprogramminglanguagestoenabletheintegrationofsmartdevicesand
automationsystems.ThebasicarchitectureofaPLCdoesntneedtobechanged,butthe
waythedataisexchangeddoeshavetochange.
Inotherwords,thekeytothenextindustrialrevolutioninwhichbigmachinesandBigData
mergeacrosstheInternetistocombineinformationwithaction.Moreimportantly,ITand
automationsystemsneedtospeakthesamelanguage.
IndustrialIoTactionmixedmessages?
Therearecompaniesthatalreadyhavetechnologysolutionstotietogetherfactoryfloor
systemswiththeenterprise.InadditiontoBoschRexroth,KepwareTechnologiesandOpto22
areworkingtoeasetheprogrammingpainofconnectingheterogeneousdevicesandmachines
toenterprisesystems,eitherdirectlyorthroughtheCloud.
Unfortunately,manymanufacturingmanagers,includingBenoitLapensee,MEScoordinatorat
CascadesInc.,apackagingandtissuepapercompanyinQuebec,Canada,arestillnotsold
ontheideaofinteroperabilityoutsideoftheplantfloor.Cascades,whichhasmanylocations
throughoutNorthAmerica,hasacquiredavarietyofequipmentandplantfloorsoftwareasa
resultofacquisitions.Insidethesecurecompanywideareanetwork(WAN),Lapenseelinks
thedifferentproductionsystemstothecompanyscentralMES,whichisGEsProficy,using
KepwaresKEPServerEX,acommunicationsplatformthatconnectswithavarietyofdevice
interfaces,includingOPCandproprietaryprotocols.
ItsaonewaycollectionofdatafromthePLCtoKepwareandthentothehistorianandMES
forcalculationsonOEEanddowntime.Dataisthencompiledintoreportsforsupervisorsand
executivestoseethestatusofoperationsaroundtheworld.
Kepware,througharecentalliancewithoperationalintelligenceproviderSplunkInc.,hasthe
abilitytohelpCascadesextractevenmoremeaningfulinformationfromtheindustrialdata
pulledoutofsensors,devicesandcontrolsystems.ThroughKepwaresIndustrialData
Forwarder(IDF)forSplunk,allofthatinformationcanbesenttotheCloudtoapplyBigData
analytics,providingrealtimeinsightsintooperations.
ButLapenseeiscautiouswhenitcomestoproductiondata.Everydaymychallengeisto
buildnewreportsbasedondatafromdifferentdevices,butwearenotyettothepointwhere
wewanttotransferdatafromonemachinetoanother,oroutsideoftheorganization,hesays.
Myconcernisrelatedtothecontroloftheprocess.Doingsomethingremotelycouldresultina
safetyissue.
Indeed,manymanufacturersarenotwillingtotestnewtechnologyattheexpenseoftheir
manufacturingprocesses.ButOpto22sBensonHouglandsayssecurityshouldntbea
concern.CompanieslikeGoogle,AppleandFacebookhavebuilttheirbusinessesonIT
technology,andmostpeoplearecomfortableenoughtodotheirbankingonline.Ofcourse,
communicationontheInternetisverydifferentthanthefactoryfloor.ItisdoneviaHypertext
TransferProtocol(HTTP)andinformationcanbepulledintoamashupofapplicationsvia
RepresentationalStateTransfer(REST)APIs.
ThishasledOpto22totakeaslightlydifferentstandwhenitcomestoIndustrialIoT.The
companyhasturnedtoexistingInternetarchitectures,likeREST,foritsnewproductcalled
groov.LayeredontopofOpto22sSNAPPACSystemforindustrialcontrol,groovprovidesa
waytocreateactionableviewsofdifferentdatasources.Dragginganddroppinganiconfroma
webbrowsercanpresentfielddeviceinformationonamobileordesktopsystem.
Onthebackendofgroov,wearetalkingtoOPCUAorModbusTCP,Houglandsays.Inthe

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ACommunicationGapintheInternetofThings|AutomationWorld

future,whentheInternetofThingstakesoffandthestandardizedwaytocommunicateisina
RESTfulway,groovwillspeaktothosedevicesaswell.Imagine,hesays,ifyoucould
quicklyassimilateplantfloordatawithenergyusageandevenweatherpatternsmashedupto
createamorevaluablebigpictureview.
ThoughHouglandisbettingonRESTandHTTPforthefuture,therearemanymethods
emergingtoconnectmachinesonthefactoryfloorandtheInternetofThings.
Therearedifferentgroupscreatingdifferentstandards,andtheyallsaytheirstandardisthe
best,saysErikDellinger,productmanageratKepware.ButIdontknowifitwilleverhappen
thatonewillrulethemall.
TherewilllikelybeahandfulofstandardsthatwillplaytogetherintheIoTsandbox.Butone
thingseemsclear:OPCUAwillbeinthatsandbox,too.
WhatliesbeneathIoT
SMLCsWetzelisworkingonaframeworkthatsitsontopofexistingindustrialautomation
investments.Westartwiththedata,andourmissionistoactonthedata,hesays.Buthow
doesthatdatagetfromsensorsandothersmartdevicestoaPLCorahistoriantopopulate
thesmartmanufacturingplatform?Werenotworkingonthat.
ThatfallsundertheOPCFoundation,whichistaskedwithcreatingadreamteamofindustry
expertsfromthevendorandendusercommunity,whichwillputallthepiecesoftheIoT
interoperabilitypuzzletogetherfromthephysicalnetworkinfrastructuretothefieldbustothe
industrialnetworkandouttotheCloud.
Thechallengeishowtosharedataacrossallofthedifferentlevelsandstillhavemeaningful
information,saysCarlosPazos,productmarketingmanageratNationalInstruments.
And,fromaProfinetandOPCperspective,Imtryingtofigureoutwhatwillberequiredofme
inthenextfiveyears,saysPINorthAmericasBryant.Whatthecontrolsystemswillneedto
provide,andwhatformatsandspeed.ThesearethethingsImconstantlythinkingabout
becauseIdontwantanyonetocomebacktomeandsayIhavetochangeformatsaround,its
notgoingtowork.
Inaddition,therearerealconcernsthataninfluxofinformationgeneratedbyamultitudeofnew
smartdevicespopulatinganetworkcouldstresstheinfrastructure.Imnotconcernedabout
thespeedofEthernetwehavealotofheadroomregardingtheperformanceofthenetwork,
saysFlukeNetworksCTODavidCoffin.Butweneedtoensurethereliabilityofconnectingup
asensorinaharshenvironment.Forexample,mechanical,ingress,chemical/climaticand
electromagneticconditionscouldimpactwirelessnetworkperformance.
KepwaresDellingerconcursthatthenetwork,includingbandwidth,needstofactorintothe
overallequation.ThereisaneffortwithinKepwaretomoveclosertotheedge,includingthe
millionsofsensorsinthefield,Dellingersays.Butallofthosedevicescantbecommunicating
backtoanapplikeSplunkatthesametime,sothereneedstobeamiddlelayerthat
aggregatescommunicationandmanagesnetworkbandwidth.
Theseareallthingsthatneedtobetakenintoaccount,whichiswhycreatingthisnext
generationmanufacturingmodelcouldtakeyears.
RightnowthereisalotofhypearoundIoT,saysTomBurke,presidentandexecutive
directoroftheOPCFoundation.Everyoneistalkingaboutthefactthatwewillbeabletogetat
datathatwecouldntgettobefore,butthenwhatdowedowithit?
WithsomeoftheworktheOPCFoundationhasalreadydoneinoilandgasandother
industries,thegroupisworkingoncreatingasetofindustryspecificobjectsthatdescribes
datainformationlikeadevicelibrarythatsitsintheCloud.Thisispartofthesemantic
standardizationeffortunderwaytoensureallpartiesspeakthesamelanguage.
ThoughthisisjustonesmallpartoftheoverallIoTarchitecture,asetupsuchasthiscould
makeitveryeasytohandoffdatatoasmartmanufacturing,Internet4.0orindustrialInternet

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ACommunicationGapintheInternetofThings|AutomationWorld

framework.
Butallofthisisstillintheearlystagesofdevelopment,andhowthiswillevolveisstilla
mystery.
ItsliketryingtopredictwhattheInternetwouldbelikein1985,saysSkeffington.Noone
[backthen]couldhavepredictedwhatitwouldbecome.
COMPANIESINTHISARTICLE: PINorthAmerica,BoschRexroth,KepwareTechnologies,
Opto22,NationalInstruments,Fluke,OPCFoundation
FILEDIN: IndustrialInternetofThings,CommunicationProtocols/Standards

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