As Industry 4.0 pioneers, the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance and its members will present new proofs of concept at SPS as part of their open interoperability framework
The Open Industry 4.0 Alliance is a partnership between leading industrial companies who take a pragmatic approach to implementing cross-manufacturer Industry 4.0 solutions and services for production facilities and automated warehousing. The Alliance was founded in April 2019. Since then, it has grown to include 41 members with a range of different industrial core competencies and has made further technological progress in recent months. Founding members include Beckhoff, Endress+Hauser, Hilscher, ifm, KUKA, MULTIVAC, SAP, Tetra Pak, and Voith. The member list is constantly growing; it currently includes 32 companies, among them itelligence AG, Balluff, Fujitsu, Pepperl+Fuchs, Gebhardt, and Software AG.
The crowning achievement of digital transformation in industry: one language for all
The goal of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance is to ensure that up to 80 percent of machines in a smart factory can communicate with each other. It’s important to move beyond proprietary, stand-alone solutions to give the process of digital transformation the decisive boost it needs in industry. The operators face a range of challenges, and this strategy gives them the opportunity to benefit from the highest levels of efficiency and integration in production, logistics, and the networking of business processes for extensive optimization.
Mark Albrecht, Vice President – Global Head of Innovation, Innovation Technologies at itelligence AG, says: “Membership in the OI4.0 creates significant added value for us and for our customers. For the first time, technology experts working with sensors are having a dialog with business process experts about the potential for optimization, and they are collaborating to fully exploit the potential of technology in every area of their work.”
The technological bedrock of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance is an open RAMI 4.0 architecture based on the four components Device Connectivity, Edge, Operator Cloud and Cloud Central as well as an associated range of services. The Alliance’s goal is to help this ecosystem for the digital transformation of manufacturing systems become more firmly established on the market. itelligence AG has been part of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance since September 2019.
The Open Industry 4.0 Alliance’s interoperability framework comes to the fore
For the first time, the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance will be represented at the largest international trade fair for electrical automation technology – SPS in Nuremberg, Germany – from November 26th to 28th. In the Alliance’s networked presentation concept, visitors can learn about how component manufacturers and members can benefit equally from the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance; members’ exhibition spaces include theoretical explanations as well as live demos of the concept. All solution components operate within a shared, open ecosystem, are holistically structured, and offer end-to-end compatibility with one another thanks to the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance’s interoperability framework. Additionally, interested visitors can attend one of the expert talks on how the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance works and what its members do.
The goal is to give trade fair attendees a better understanding of the unique features of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance as compared to existing initiatives. One important feature is the open, solution-oriented organizational structure of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance. Firstly, every member who joins the alliance is considered equal (“open”). And secondly, all partners agree to contribute their technological core competencies in such a way as to ensure that the operator/customer will always be provided with an established, reliable, and scalable overall solution (“one”). This is based on the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance’s holistic interoperability framework, which is coordinated by all members. It comprises all physical and digital elements of production systems, intralogistics, and the connected IIoT cloud. This includes the use of existing future-proof norms, standards, and protocols, such as OPC UA, IO link, RAMI 4.0, HART, and PROFINET, as well as the use of established high-performance micro-ecosystems and guidelines.
For anyone interested in the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance, the central port of call at SPS in Nuremberg is Stand 160 in Hall 5. In addition to itelligence AG, other exhibiting companies include founding members Beckhoff, Endress+Hauser, Hilscher, ifm, and SAP, as well as Aucotec, Balluff, Captron, Cedalo AG, Komax, Pepperl+Fuchs, Schunk, Sick, SMC, and Trebing + Himstadt.
Press contact
Head of Corporate Public Relations itelligence AG
Silvia Dicke
itelligence AG
Tel.: +49 (0) 521 / 9 14 48 – 107
E-Mail: [email protected]
itelligence
itelligence AG transforms IT landscapes and business processes through the combination of innovative SAP software and technology with services and products developed in-house. As an SAP Global Platinum Partner, itelligence supports SMEs and large enterprises in every phase of their digital transformation. itelligence’s range of services includes IT strategy and transformation consulting, software deployment and implementation, as well as application management and managed cloud services. The excellence of these services is built on the foundation of itelligence’s local presence, global capacity, and comprehensive industry expertise. itelligence partners with customers to create new and innovative business opportunities through the use of IT – for each facet of the customer’s business. Thousands of satisfied customers have placed their trust in itelligence, many of them since the company was founded 30 years ago. itelligence’s contribution to innovation and long-term business success has been confirmed by numerous SAP awards and leading market analysts.
itelligence is part of the global NTT DATA group and employs over 8,000 people across 25 countries. In 2018, itelligence generated 926.6 million euros in total revenues.