Mr. Messerklinger, you are responsible for mobile automation at B&R. Why is it so important to you now that OPC UA is also finding its way into construction, mining, agricultural and forestry machinery?

We've been through a long period of suffering in factory automation: for years, the fieldbus war between the various networking protocols consumed important innovation capacities for all manufacturers, but also for users of automation technology. With OPC UA, we have finally managed to achieve standardized networking of different sensors, controllers and machines, right through to factories and industries. And only now have we laid the foundations for Industry 4.0. We should now definitely bring this experience into the world of mobile automation.

Is the industry not aware of this?

Few people are aware that the factory world and smart farming, for example, are moving very strongly towards each other. On the one hand on the part of the component suppliers: I'm just thinking of the sensor, control and HMI providers. In many cases, we see the same suppliers and the same products. But also in terms of infrastructure: construction, mining, agricultural and forestry machines are increasingly being integrated into factory-like structures. And then, at the latest, the interfaces will have to be harmonized again.

What is the status quo for mobile machines?

So far, there are no standardized production processes in these working groups; however, efforts are being made to increase the efficiency of machine or production processes. However, unlike in Industry 4.0, no decision has yet been made in this sector for a standardized exchange of information, despite the same problem and objective. This is due to the fact that various standards are currently being developed in parallel. In addition, the working groups have not yet really identified important points...

... and what are they?

The focus of the working groups is currently mainly on the standardization of individual point-to-point connections. Requirements such as safety or security are being put on the back burner. The real-time capability of machines is also being neglected, although this is likely to become increasingly relevant in the agricultural and construction sectors over the next few years. A lack of real-time capability is problematic insofar as agricultural machinery cannot establish a connection with the factory. This would result in suppliers having to implement and maintain protocols in parallel.

So what are you demanding?

The requirements of manufacturers of agricultural, construction or mining machines are no different to those of manufacturers of stationary machines and, secondly, OPC UA is fully implemented and usable as a protocol. The OPC Foundation has become quite adept at quickly incorporating specific requirements from other industries into the standard. We, the factory automation industry, should therefore all reach out to the manufacturers in this sector and offer support for implementing the standard in their mobile machines. That would definitely be a win-win situation.