A number of consortia and other collaborative groups have sprung up recently to foster standard approaches to new technologies. One such group is the Digital Twin Consortium (DTC). As technology moves more quickly than human organizations, the DTC has announced a liaison agreement in December with the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance. This agreement is not only for the exchange of information but also to bring digitalization and collaboration to the next level.
The Open Industry 4.0 Alliance functions as a collaborative consortium comprising of prominent industrial companies actively involved in deploying cross-vendor Industry 4.0 solutions and services for manufacturing facilities and automated warehouses. Within industry and technology working groups, subject matter experts conceive practical scenarios and put them into practice using the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance reference architecture. These solutions, alongside detailed implementation instructions, are disseminated within the community and made accessible to parties beyond the Alliance.
“We are excited about working with the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance,” said Dan Isaacs, GM & CTO of DTC. “We look forward to helping manufacturers and solutions providers further the use of digital twins in smart factories, oil & gas, pharma, and others based on Industry 4.0 and key open industry standards.”
“The collaboration between the DTC and the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance aims to drive the alignment of technology components and other elements to ensure interoperability,” says Ricardo Dunkel, Technical Director at the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance. “Together we are working on the standardization and integration of technologies in vertical use cases, proof-of-concepts and Value Innovation Platforms (VIP). This collaborative partnership will be strengthened through the exchange of information, regular consultations and joint events to drive digitalization and promote collaboration.”
The two groups have agreed to the following:
- Realizing interoperability by harmonizing technology components and other elements
- Aligning work in Digital Twin Consortium Capabilities and Technology for adoption within vertical domains through proof of value projects and use cases, including:
- Composable and Architectural Frameworks,
- Advanced Capabilities and Technology showcases
- Security and Trustworthiness applications
- Conceptual, informational, structural, and behavioral models
- Enabling technologies such as AR, VR, AI, and other advancements
- Case study development from initial concept through operational analysis
- The DTC and Open Industry 4.0 Alliance will exchange information through regular consultations, seminars, and training development vehicles.