I received many releases regarding automation from Siemens resulting from the Hannover Messe last month. They presented them to assembled press, analysts, and blogger this week at Automate in Chicago. These are all pretty cool.
Siemens Industrial Copilot with Generative AI
Spatial Computing Electrical Training for Apple Vision Pro
Simatic S7-1200 G2—a new generation of controller
Siemens Xcelerator: Scaling roll-out of generative AI with Siemens Industrial Copilot
Siemens makes automation easy with the first generative AI-powered product for engineering in an industrial environment
Siemens Industrial Copilot accelerates the generation of complex automation code, reduces development times, and increases productivity
TIA Portal connection offers customers SCL code generation, customization of HMI visualization, and document search in natural language
Available for download from the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace starting in summer 2024
The Siemens Industrial Copilot, the generative AI-powered assistant, is now seamlessly connected to the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal. This will enable engineering teams to find the right help topic and to generate a basic visualization and code faster for programmable logic controllers (PLC). As a result, they will be able to significantly reduce their workload and offload repetitive tasks to the Siemens Industrial Copilot. In addition, the engineering of complex tasks will become less susceptible to errors. This in turn reduces development times and boosts quality and productivity over the long term. The Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal Engineering will be available for download from the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace starting in summer 2024.
Siemens and BILT Launch Spatial Computing Electrical Training for Apple Vision Pro
Siemens leverages BILT on Apple Vision Pro to provide immersive step-by-step guided instruction for electricians
BILT spatial computing app on Apple Vision Pro available at Hannover Messe tradeshow
Siemens and BILT, the creators of 3D Intelligent Instructions, are optimizing their mobile guides into spatial models for Apple Vision Pro. As the need for skilled electricians and other trades grows, training the entering workforce, while up-skilling the existing one, is essential. Tools such as BILT on Apple Vision Pro provide a highly immersive and visual training experience that helps users not only learn faster, but safer.
Siemens’ first product assembly and installation guides available on BILT on Apple Vision Pro include Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s Class 14 NEMA motor starter, designed to control and protect motors applied in industrial processes, and the P5 Power Distribution Panel.
To further the partnership and accelerate applications globally, BILT will become the newest addition to Siemens’ Xcelerator Ecosystem and Marketplace. Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform and powerful ecosystem of partners, is where industrial clients from around the world can look for solutions that suit their needs. As part of Siemens Xcelerator, BILT will now be available as a turnkey solution to accelerate digital transformation and learning easier, faster and at scale.
A new generation of controller with Simatic S7-1200 G2
Key benefits include efficient motion control, flexible machine safety, increased performance, and seamless scalability
For the first time in ten years, Siemens is announcing a new generation of controllers, available in winter of 2024, at Hannover Messe 2024. The Simatic S7-1200 G2 controllers are part of the Simatic controller family.
The new controllers help bridge the worlds of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT). The controllers’ high communication performance and efficient data processing increase production output. By connecting the controllers to IT systems, it is also possible to use advanced data analysis, for example in the cloud.
The new controllers are part of Siemens Xcelerator, allowing customers to benefit from the standardized engineering approach in the TIA Portal. The Simatic S7-1200 G2 controller generation enables customers to address major challenges, such as productivity, flexibility, and cost optimization.
The new range of controllers combines integrated motion control functionalities with space-saving and flexible machine safety solutions.
For example, the S7-1200 G2 controllers make it possible for machine builders to control multiple coordinated axes and simple kinematics. Customers experience increased performance capabilities thanks to improved processing power, dedicated communication performance and more memory, as well as Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality with in-app access to diagnostic, operational, and device data. Plain text diagnostic information about the entire programmable logic controller (PLC) station reduces machine downtime and gives users quick access to data.
Interoperability forms a key feature for useful technology. Think of train rail gauges. Or shipping cargo containers. Or much of our industrial technology—much, but far from all. The drive of technology application suppliers for proprietary lock in is strong. Many will open up only as much as customers demand immediately.
This news comes from ABB and the Linux Foundation regarding a new interoperability initiative for industrial applications. They call it “Margo” which is Latin for “edge.” Cute, eh? Better than many names I’ve seen over the years.
In brief:
Margo, a new open standard initiative for interoperability, will address key roadblocks to digital transformation
The initiative is hosted by the Linux Foundation and driven by a founding group of industrial automation solution providers, including ABB Process Automation and ABB Machine Automation (B&R)
Margo aims to unlock interoperability at the edge – a key layer of Industrial IoT ecosystems where plant data is transformed into AI-powered insights to drive efficiency and sustainability
At the Hannover Messe on April 23, 2024, founding members ABB (including B&R), Capgemini, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric (including AVEVA) and Siemens announced collaboration on a new initiative to deliver interoperability for Industrial IoT ecosystems.
Hosted by the Linux Foundation and open to further interested parties, the Margo initiative draws its name from the Latin word for ‘edge’ and will define mechanisms for interoperability between applications, devices and orchestration software at the edge of industrial ecosystems. In particular, Margo will make it easy to run and combine applications from any ecosystem member on top of the hardware and runtime system of any other member. Margo aims to deliver on its interoperability promise through a modern and agile open-source approach, which will bring industrial companies increased flexibility, simplicity and scalability as they undergo digital transition in complex, multi-vendor environments.
“Mastering efficiency, flexibility and quality faster than competitors is key to success in today’s industrial world,” said Bernhard Eschermann, CTO, ABB Process Automation. “Digitalization can help deliver on these benefits, but digital ecosystems require a robust, secure and interoperable framework at the edge, connecting operations and information technologies. For ABB, a long-standing advocate of open automation systems, driving a forward-thinking collaborative initiative like Margo is key to achieving this goal.”
“The more sources you get data from, the better the decisions you can make,” explained Florian Schneeberger, CTO of ABB’s Machine Automation division (B&R). “Yet, while the benefits of digitalization increase with scale, so do the challenges of navigating heterogeneous industrial ecosystems. That’s why interoperability is so crucial to unlocking the full potential of digitalization. It empowers organizations to adopt and scale Industrial IoT solutions at full speed without large teams of IT specialists.”
In March 2024, ABB became a member of the Linux Foundation. This will enable the company to further enhance efforts in promoting open community collaboration, helping unlock innovation and enable better products and experiences for customers. This further strengthens ABB’s commitment to open standard based systems.
I’ve recently learned about a software company called Quickbase. [Disclaimer: I do have a business relationship, but they do not dictate what I write.] I’ve written a couple of items just a couple of months ago. Their virtual conference called Empower will be held Wednesday, May 9. You can hear me as part of a panel presentation beginning at 11:15 EDT.
This update will be explained during the keynotes of the conference. Quickbase is a software application platform for “dynamic work management” featuring no code/low code application. This update, in brief, features cleaner user experience, enhanced AI and mobile capabilities, and out-of-the-box governance controls help everyone deliver impact.
In the new dynamic way of working, organizations must stay nimble, adaptable, and responsive to the non-structured, multi-stakeholder, and highly collaborative way we all work today. This is especially true for operationally driven, complex industries like construction, manufacturing, and others that operate in a world where physical work and digital solutions must coexist to drive projects. These industries have been underserved by technology for decades or have been slower to adopt new tech solutions.
Using AI, an improved user experience, easier access to mobile forms to capture data and information, and enhanced governance controls, Quickbase is delivering on its vision to connect data, workflows, teams, and projects together to get custom solutions up and running with minimal clicks for the way people and organizations need and want to work, at the speed and scale of their projects, customers, and competition.
“Most technology solutions are rooted in old ways of working that don’t fit today’s world of dynamic work,” said Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. “Work has changed, and with it the expectations for the tools and technology used to get work done. Speed, scale and customization are priorities, with a depth of vertical specialization and ability to connect to your core systems, all at significantly lower levels of investment. This is the foundation of our platform, focused on easy to use, expert-built solutions with just a few clicks, fully customized to the way you want to work.”
Highlights:
AI Integration for Faster Building of Solutions, Reports & Integrations – Since the addition of AI-powered capabilities to the Quickbase platform in October 2023, more than 4,500 unique business apps have been built by 2,800 beta users for a variety of use cases, from project management to logistics and invoice management, even solar panel installations. Now, with AI fully-integrated into its platform, users can build fully functional solutions, reports, workflows, and integration in just a few clicks, simply by telling Quickbase’s AI Smart Builder what problem they are trying to solve – no technical expertise required.
A Whole New Quickbase User Experience – a fresher and faster way to get work done, from creating to managing to iterating and sharing solutions, reducing the amount of clicking and scrolling Gray Work that could slow them down. Users now have a cleaner global menu and redesigned dashboards, putting every action at their fingertips, with enhanced collaboration and communication controls to share and track information; a powerful library of solution-specific applications and formulas, components, and integrations; and quick actions to surface actionable intelligence across the platform.
Unified Mobile Experience – Since the acquisition of FastField in June 2023, Quickbase has continued to add new capabilities and streamline the creation of forms and capturing of information on job sites, shop floors and other environments where that data is critical to enhancing productivity, compliance, and safety. Now, by adding in-app form building and faster access to FastField in the Quickbase global menu, new and existing users alike can take advantage of FastField to easily build new forms using existing tables and workflows; manage their account and workflows; and access and share critical information throughout their teams and organizations.
Governance that Supports Customization, Speed and Scale – Quickbase enables organizations to enhance their approach to governance by delivering the speed and flexibility of a typical point solution with platform-level controls with the assurance that solutions stay aligned with business needs and IT policies related to compliance, privacy, and control. This new set of solution application programming interfaces (APIs) supports the continuous improvement and deployment of business-critical solution, giving IT and business leaders confidence that existing application lifecycle management (ALM) requirements are in place across the entire lifecycle of their apps.
“Our customers have told us again and again that the most important thing any solution should do for them is to help them get work done, faster,” said Debbi Roberts, senior vice president, Product at Quickbase. “We’ve taken that to heart, building our platform with a vision that everyone should be able to do their work in the way that fits them best, creating workflows that reflect exactly how they want to get work done. Our new capabilities realize that promise of powerful, easy to use, intuitive, and customizable solutions to enable everyone to make a quick and lasting impact to their business.”
I wrote a couple of times when some press releases noted support for a new PICMGInterEdge interface for open process automation applications. They’ve announced a formal agreement with OPAF to provide an “official” OPAF edge controller connectivity.
Highlights:
Partnership seeks to reduce technology integration, maintenance, and upgrade costs in the process automation industry.
Work supports the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS), a standard of The Open Group, that defines resilient and scalable process automation system architectures.
Collaboration establishes a multi-vendor ecosystem for interoperable, interchangeable edge hardware via specifications like InterEdge.
An explanation from the press release explains, “The partnership fills a gap in edge controller hardware that exists in the O-PAS Standard—an open architectural framework for developing industrial process automation systems, currently being defined by OPAF initiatives.”
To complete and standardize work on an edge controller performed by OPAF member Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), The Open Group Forum evaluated several hardware standards development organizations. The OPAF Members selected PICMG to develop a new open edge hardware technology specification that defines electromechanical interoperability, interchangeability, hot plug capabilities, and compatibility with existing standards such as IEC 61499 and IEC 61131.
The result was the recently ratified InterEdge specification.
I should mention that I saw a similar PICMG computer put forward as a solution for a previous open controller standard. Unfortunately, the vendor selected made a few tweaks in its use of the standard such that its “open” controller actually would not accept cards from competitors. I am certain that OPAF and PICMG will vet suppliers more carefully.
The InterEdge specification introduces a modular open architecture that delivers state-of-the-art I/O abstraction and flexibility and in a common physical form factor. It supports the OPAF and O-PAS goals of reducing integration, maintenance, and upgrade costs in the highly fragmented and largely proprietary process control technology market.
The OPAF and PICMG relationship is ongoing, with work on new versions of the InterEdge specification already underway. Meanwhile, the Open Process Automation Forum has introduced InterEdge to its physical platform subcommittee, who plan to include the specification in an upcoming revision of the O-PAS Standard and devise a set of tests that evaluate conformance to the InterEdge specification.
The InterEdge specification is available now and can be purchased from the PICMG website for $750.
A merger of these industrial communication protocol organizations is probably overdue, but certainly timely. As the industrial technology marketplace matures further consolidation makes sense. Each organization has achieved many advancements helping engineers and operations professionals do a better job. Most of the development work is done. It’s time to do more evangelizing and convince more companies to invest in the technologies.
After years of close collaboration, these two leading global standards-based non-profit entities have executed a term sheet to combine resources into a single business focused on creating device integration technology standards and products serving the user and vendor communities of industrial process, hybrid, and factory automation.
FieldComm Group and FDT Group are pleased to announce the completion of a term sheet outlining a plan to create a single business aimed at advancing integration technology and harmonizing control system applications across multiple protocol topologies supporting both process and factory automation. Subject to the completion of a definitive agreement, the new business will continue to support all existing FieldComm Group and FDT Group technologies, including Field Device Integration (FDI), Field Device Tool / Device Type Manager (FDT/DTM), Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), HART, and FOUNDATION Fieldbus. FieldComm Group will acquire all FDT technology and resources, and an independent Strategic Integration Committee will be formed to guide future directions for protocol-independent device integration technologies.
This strengthened relationship represents a significant step forward in streamlining process automation and factory manufacturing device management, enhancing interoperability throughout the industry. The unified organization is pioneering a transformative vision where industrial device management seamlessly bridges the present and future, ensuring support for the current installed base while facilitating evolution towards harmonized technologies.
This particular strategic integration idea is also long overdue. I’m happy to see this initiative. These mini-battles among major automation suppliers trying to tie customers to proprietary systems has long been a thorn in customers’ sides.
The new Strategic Integration Committee focused on a protocol-agnostic device integration approach will foster alliances with major field protocol organizations, including CC-Link Partner Association, EtherCAT Technology Group, FieldComm Group, ODVA, OPC Foundation, Modbus, Profibus/Profinet International, and others, spearheading innovations to improve engineering efficiency, plant uptime, and user satisfaction across various industrial automation fields. Within this strategic committee, cutting-edge technologies, tools, and certifications will streamline cost-effective adoption for members while providing a single device package compatible with any operating system that will enable effortless data access from field devices to cloud, edge, and mobile applications. This initiative promotes comprehensive integration between Information Technology and Operational Technology (IT/OT) systems.
“This collaboration is a strategic move aimed at providing the best service to our members and the industry at large,” emphasized Ted Masters, President and Chief Executive Officer of FieldComm Group. Steve Biegacki, Managing Director of FDT Group, echoed this sentiment, highlighting that “the enhanced harmonization of standards and technologies will significantly empower end users and manufacturers in their quest to achieve out-of-the-box Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) capabilities across their systems.”
