by Gary Mintchell | Nov 25, 2025 | Automation, Embedded Control, Standards
The comment brought memories from many years ago when I first heard about a new programming language/operating system. Java. I rushed to the local bookstore to purchase a book. It was huge. I downloaded the Java Development Kit. Eventually, I downloaded eclipse, an IDE for writing Java.
The key marketing message for Java? Write once, run everywhere. You just had to have a target to download the code to a runtime instance.
The comment that brought back ancient memories occurred during a briefing at the Rockwell Automation Automation Fair event in November.
Executives from Rockwell were discussing how their latest control platforms were amenable to software defined automation. A colleague asked about their support for IEC 61131 programming languages, especially about the part where they hope to have “write once/run anywhere” programmable controller code. That is, write a control program in the void, then download to any target be it Rockwell Automation, Siemens, ABB, or name your favorite.
The executives returned a blank stare. The inquisitor said that he supposed that that was a “no.”
I had long forgotten that nirvana of PLC Open. Discussions often grew heated in the early part of the century on this topic. Personally, I don’t see how it can happen. To bring that hope of PLCOpen to fruition, all controller manufacturers would have to agree to commoditize their hardware. Some users may think that driving control to commodity to reduce the cost would be good. But that would disincentivize innovation.
That’s not going to happen.
In fact, looking at software-defined and model-based programming with AI assistance, I wonder how long IEC61131 will be necessary.
I’m quoting Ed Sheeran and just “Thinking Out Loud.” Where will all this go? What impact will the ubiquitous AI have on this entire discussion—if any? What will machine control look like in 10 years?
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by Gary Mintchell | Nov 11, 2025 | Automation, Robots, Standards
I’m betting that you know where you are in terms of physical location. They once asked on TV ads, “Do you know where your kids are?” Now the questions are, “Do you know where your machines are?” and “Do your machines know where they are?”
OPC Foundation continues its quest to link to everything possible. Its list of “companion specs” is long. This new concerns a partnership regarding spatial understanding—by networked industrial systems of machines, robots, and mobile systems understanding one another by physical location. Sounds useful for things moving around the factory.
This partnership includes AIM-D, omlox, and the OPC Foundation creating a new OPC UA specification.
Industrial automation is facing a paradigm shift: machines, robots, and mobile systems are learning to “understand” space. With the new OPC UA Companion Specification for Identification and Locating, AIM-D e.V., PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) with the open locating standard omlox, and the OPC Foundation are establishing the foundation for a common language of “spatial intelligence.”
Physical AI – that is, AI that actively perceives physical space and acts contextually – requires a unified understanding of positions, movements, and identities in space. This is precisely where the new Companion Specification comes in: it harmonizes the spatial data model for absolute positions within the OPC Foundation and allows for a unified global positioning of assets in the physical and digital world.
This enables a seamless integration of spatial data into industrial IT and OT systems – a prerequisite for autonomous mobile robots, intelligent assistance systems, and self-organizing production environments.
The new specification is now freely available on the OPC Foundation’s website and is considered a milestone for the next evolutionary stage of industrial intelligence.
The collaboration between AIM-D, omlox / PI, and the OPC Foundation brings together the disciplines of identification, locating, and communication in a common spatial context. This creates a decisive foundation to equip robots, vehicles, and machines with a shared spatial understanding – the key to Physical AI, resilient supply chains, and autonomous industrial ecosystems.
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by Gary Mintchell | Oct 1, 2025 | News, Organizations, Standards, Technology
My last post discussed how the market has changed enough that consolidation of technology and business associations has become inevitable. And there are benefits. This news shows some of the benefits of previously competing organizations working together.
In brief:
Updated FDI technology specification paves the way for single device integration for process and factory automation device management.
FieldComm Group’s Strategic Integration Committee (SIC), composed of leading automation industry suppliers and Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), has announced the official timeline for releasing the updated Field Device Integration (FDI) Specification. This milestone marks a critical step toward unifying device integration across process, hybrid, and factory automation.
Following the transfer of FDT/DTM assets to FieldComm Group in 2024, the organization has significantly accelerated its efforts toward unified device integration. The resulting roadmap is a product of coordinated work by the SIC and specialized working groups. Comprised of board-level companies from FieldComm Group along with key leaders from OPC Foundation, ODVA, and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI), the SIC has led the harmonization of FDI and FDT technologies. This collaboration aims to deliver a unified, intuitive, and scalable device integration standard that addresses the evolving needs of modern manufacturing, helping both end users and vendors.
Key enhancements in the updated FDI Specification:
- Compliance, incorporating the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)
- Unified device integration standard for process and factory automation
- Support for legacy systems, enabling modernization without infrastructure replacement
- Real-time OT/IT connectivity through a common information model (PA-DIM)
- Support for modern platforms and development tools
- Empowering intelligent device and lifecycle management with protocol tunneling support, also known as nested communications
FDI specification timeline for migration:
- End of 2026: Release of the updated FDI Specification
- End of 2027: Deployment of the updated FDI Developer Toolkit
- 2029: Market availability of registered FDI-enabled systems and devices
Following are statements of leaders of participating organizations:
“Today’s industrial systems are more complex than ever, yet this complexity must not compromise interoperability,” said Steve Biegacki, Chair of the Strategic Integration Committee and former Managing Director of the FDT Group. “Our goal is to deliver a unified device integration solution that enhances data interoperability with OT/IT systems while supporting innovative features for modern manufacturing. This approach also provides a practical migration path, safeguarding existing investments and preparing the industry for future advancements.”
“As a co-owner of the FDI specification, the OPC Foundation is committed to robust and interoperable device integration for OPC UA users and fully supports the harmonization of FDI and FDT technologies to achieve this goal,” said Stefan Hoppe, President of the OPC Foundation.
“ODVA is pleased to support the harmonization of FDI and FDT technologies to enable enhanced device integration interoperability for users of EtherNet/IP,” said Al Beydoun, President and Executive Director of ODVA.
“PI appreciates that the FieldComm Group initiated the valuable discussions to determine the need for merging FDI and FDT, taking into account the needs of interested companies, as well as the technologies of the four participating standards development associations,” said Dietmar Bohn, Executive Director of PI.
Final statement of benefits:
This update will enable manufacturers to transition toward more intelligent, responsive operations, unlocking the full value of industrial data and modern automation architectures.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 23, 2025 | Software, Standards, Sustainability
While I am on a standards reporting kick, this news reflects the growing collaboration among formerly competitive standards development organizations. I wrote recently about how OPAF is actively taking an end user view into standards collaboration and rationalization. Working together usually brings benefits to users.
From the statement of purpose: Accurate energy consumption data is essential for companies aiming to achieve climate-neutral production. To support this goal, a consortium of organizations has recently published a groundbreaking specification for interoperable and efficient energy management in industrial and process automation.
\A key goal of the mechanical and plant engineering industry is to achieve climate-neutral production in the future. This effort is supported by the European Union’s European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. In order to achieve this goal and implement many other use cases, accurate data on energy consumption in production is crucial. The consortium, consisting of the organizations ODVA, OPC Foundation, PI and VDMA, has now jointly published version 1.0.0 of their groundbreaking specification for interoperable and efficient energy management in industrial automation and process automation. This group is chaired by the VDMA.
Dietmar Bohn, Managing Director of PNO, explains: “The measurement and analysis of energy consumption in machines and systems is an extremely important topic for the future. We are pleased to make an active contribution to this important initiative to optimize energy consumption and thereby reduce the harmful effects on the environment caused by waste and surplus.”
This specification defines a standardized information model based on OPC UA that enables comprehensive energy management in industrial automation. “This Power Consumption Management collaboration ensures that end users have a highly standardized and interoperable means of achieving their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals,” explains Dr. Al Beydoun, President and CEO of ODVA.
The introduction of this standard will make energy management in industry considerably easier: companies can now record, analyze and use precise and consistent energy data even more efficiently in order to further increase their energy efficiency. This not only helps to reduce operating costs, but also to reduce the ecological footprint. Standardization makes it possible to implement innovative technologies and best practices faster and more effectively, which contributes to more sustainable and environmentally friendly production in the long term.
The specification essentially comprises two main content fields: Firstly, monitoring, i.e. the display of all types of energy consumption, including electrical energy as well as energy from air, water or coal. Secondly, standby management, which is understood to mean the control and display of various energy-saving modes on machines and components. It is based on the results of the research project “Development of energy management interfaces for IoT technologies (IoTEnRG)”. “The aim of the IoTEnRG research project was to make the results available to industry. We were able to contribute our results directly to the Joint Working Group and thus significantly accelerate the development of the OPC UA Companion Specification,” says Prof. Dr. Niemann from the Institute for Sensor Technology and Automation at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover.
“For digitalization, we need an agreement on a common understanding and description of data, including in the energy sector. OPC UA provides exactly that. I am proud that with this joint group, we can also contribute to the energy transition and thus promote optimized energy savings through standardized and efficient monitoring,” says Stefan Hoppe, President of the OPC Foundation.
The VDMA has defined a fundamental standard for the entire mechanical and plant engineering industry, known as “OPC UA for Machinery”. Various functional building blocks are specified in this standard. A new building block for energy management is being developed based on the publication. “The four organizations have been working hard to harmonize and standardize information on energy consumption in manufacturing. This is an excellent first step towards defining an upcoming OPC UA Building Block for mechanical engineering that will bring the machine and plant manufacturing industry a big step closer to the goal of climate-neutral production,” says Andreas Faath, director of the VDMA Machine Information Interoperability department.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 23, 2025 | Software, Standards
I have mixed feelings toward standards organizations and consortia. Some engineers use their work to build systems. I’m never sure what the final benefit is. Some have built technology in everyday use—OPC, ODVA, FieldComm (HART, FDT), Profinet. Some publish papers that I have hear practical outcomes emanating from.
Yet, I still report on some of these. You never know how some engineers may benefit from the work while building their systems.
This news (I’m catching up on news that came my way while traveling and thinking about what I learned there) comes from The Digital Twin Consortium (DTC), a unit of the Object Management Group. My last two trips and several subsequent interviews and press events all worked in the term Digital Twin somewhere in the discussion. So, it’s relevant.
The Digital Twin Consortium (DTC) published a whitepaper titled Spatially Intelligent Digital Twin Capabilities and Characteristics to help business executives, enterprise, business, and solution architects, system designers, and developers understand the base concept of spatial information relative to the capabilities and characteristics used to describe locational intelligence in the context of digital twin capabilities. The concepts described in the whitepaper apply to a broad spectrum of digital twin use cases, industries, and disciplines.
The whitepaper provides organizations guidance to:
- Document the capabilities and resulting value streams provided through the ability to visualize, understand, and analyze the geospatial locational characteristics of real-world entities and conditions.
- Understand the distinction between different forms of locational representations, including geometric (3D models), spatial, and geospatial models.
- Document the key characteristics of locational representations in a digital twin so organizations can consistently capture locational attributes, enabling digital twin system-to-system integration.
- Capture the Spatially Intelligent Digital Twin’s locational characteristics in the context of capabilities using the DTC’s Capabilities Periodic Table (CPT).
By completing the steps outlined in the white paper, organizations can define locational capabilities and data requirements for their digital twins. They can design, develop, and operate digital twins that meet organizational needs and provide business value.
The Digital Twin Consortium Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) Working Group prepared the whitepaper. Download the DTC website’s Spatially Intelligent Digital Twin Capabilities and Characteristics whitepaper. Become a DTC member and join the global leaders in driving digital twin evolution and enabling technology. DTC is a program of Object Management Group.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 21, 2025 | Process Control, Standards
The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) provides annual updates at a forum in Orlando in February. I missed that meeting, however recently receiving an update from Aneil Ali, The Open Group OPAF Director.
OPAF members have worked diligently for years developing a standard of standards in order to break the proprietary grip of specific process automation suppliers—hence the word “Open” in the name. Owner/operators facing needed technology upgrades balked at the price of rip-and-replace automation.
I have seen these efforts a few times in the past. The results have provided benefits, but usually far from the vision of the founders.
This organization continues to move forward. They have released version 2.1 of the standard, launched a product certification program, and have witnessed some products making it through the system.
The headline news is ExxonMobil’s Lighthouse project. They have operationalized the OPAF system at a resin finishing plant in Baton Rouge at tail end of 2024. Engineers beat deadlines for startup. They have published some good lessons learned from the project. It’s the first deployment of a commercial OPAF system making money for the owner/operator.
One complaint levied over the years concerned the proliferation of standards, many of which are not interoperable. OPAF has addressed standards harmonization hosting for the fourth year standards harmonizing meetings in Eastern Hemisphere. Recently one was in Germany with FieldComm, OPC UA, Namur, OPAF, PI. They typically meet for three days looking for where there is a risk for divergence and potential problems for endusers.
Ali noted the OPAF have started a regular cadence of user meetings as an effort to get them together to air wishes/desires. These thoughts can be distilled to assignments for working groups.
Ali concluded, “The Forum always open to receiving guidance and feedback from end users not in the ecosystem—we’re not a closed club.”
