The first end-user driven industry-standards working group I ran into as a new editor at Control Engineering magazine several (22) years ago was the Open Modular Architecture Controller (OMAC) group spearheaded primarily by the major automotive players plus Boeing and then some CPG firms such as P&G and Unilever. The first attempt was a less expensive and more easily updatable machine controller. If it sounds much like today’s Open Process Automation Forum, it should.
Later packaging companies and their suppliers became dominant within OMAC as the organization changed its name a couple of times and eventually found a home with PMMI. I really haven’t heard much about the organization for a few years. Then Mark Fondl, with whom I had many discussions about standards in automation—primarily Ethernet—got involved and started pinging me.
Here is news about a new working group striving for a best-practices handbook for remote monitoring services.
The rationale:
The Covid-19 crisis has pushed manufacturers to actively develop plans for “lights out” factories and supply chains. A recent survey conducted by PMMI shows that 92% of respondents working at CPGs cannot use their existing remote access capabilities due to cybersecurity concerns. The study further noted that 36% of respondents listed that there is no practical guide to help start as their top barrier to adding new remote access service.
The desired result:
OMAC (The Organization for Machine Automation and Control) believes a collaborative review is needed to create a comprehensive best-practices handbook for remote monitoring services that will help manufacturing companies allow secure remote access to machines and automation systems on the plant floor.
Focus:
This Workgroup focuses on timing, safety, and security procedures when allowing inbound connections that link to specific machines and automation systems. This work is essential because inbound connections are more complex and hold more risk than the more common outbound connections.
More than 20 companies are now involved:
- End-Users: Cargill, Nestle, P&G, Sonoco
- OEMs: Nordson, Mettler Toledo, Milacron, ProMach, Bobst
- SIs & Vendors: Siemens, EtherCAT Technology Group, Beckhoff, SICK, Martin CSI, Trola Industries, Omnicon
Timeline:
| 9 Sep | Introduction, Agenda Review |
| 23 Sep | Current State and Stakeholders of Remote Access |
| 7 Oct | Collaboration with IT |
| 21 Oct | Classification of Activities |
| 4 Nov | Validation of Assets being Connected |
| 18 Nov | Methodologies to engage beyond one-to-one |
| 2 Dec | Security and Safety, Documentation and Change Management |
| 16 Dec | Review of Draft Report |
| 13 Jan | Final Report Approval |
You can help, but you must be a member. Find out more here.
