Mr. Böhrer, you have been on the market with your virtual PLC for a year now. What is your most important insight from this?

We are firmly convinced that Logiccloud's idea of implementing a PLC as software-as-a-service in the cloud is still valid. But perhaps we are still a few years too early for the consistent implementation of this idea.

What do you mean by "too early"?

With the idea of the cloud PLC, we are simply still two steps ahead of the times. The current trend is to implement cloud technologies primarily on edge servers in companies. Keyword: virtual edge. And we have now responded to this.

Reacted in such a way that ...

We have analyzed the use cases of edge-based virtual controllers and found that there are two points that are crucial for their use. Firstly, the installation and overall set-up of virtual controllers requires too much IT knowledge to date. Secondly, the hardware requirements are too high and there is no cost benefit. That is why we have put a lot of effort into making the set-up as simple as possible and the hardware requirements as low as possible.

Bernhard Böhrer, Managing Director Logiccloud

© Logiccloud

What does that mean in concrete terms?

The user develops their automation solution in the cloud with the Logiccloud Engineering Portal, tests it in the cloud and then downloads the solution to the edge device. Monitoring is also carried out in our engineering portal. Very importantly, the edge device does not have to be constantly connected to the cloud, but can simply be connected for service and updates.

And that's your USP?

If we look at the requirements of digitalization and contrast them with the traditional PLC - which has changed little in the last 30 years - we can see that many of today's requirements can only be implemented with expensive additional hardware and software. I'm talking about requirements for IT/OT integration, security aspects, communication with other systems and the cloud, and remote maintenance. We have already taken all these points into account in the development of Logiccloud and I maintain that our automation solutions have an enormous cost advantage over traditional automation solutions thanks to fewer components and interfaces.

"With the idea of the cloud PLC, we are simply two steps ahead of the times"

What is the feedback from your potential customers?

We are finding that users can't believe how easy it is to use and how diverse the possibilities of our product are. Automation specialists are used to outdated programming tools, complex configuration of a large number of interfaces and pseudo web HMI solutions.

Cooperation with partner companies is in full swing: The virtual PLC and HMI from Logiccloud on the Wago CC100 controller.

© Logiccloud

If you are now focusing on the Edge environment, you also need hardware on which your product runs.

Absolutely. Here we rely on partnerships with companies such as Bosch Rexroth, Belden and Insys, Perinet, Phoenix Contact and Wago. The fact is that almost every hardware manufacturer today has Linux-based routers, gateways or controllers in its portfolio. The hardware often already has management software on board. We then adapt our deployments so that the installation and set-up works smoothly for the user. As I said, the software is always the same, we just adapt the installation. This creates a win-win-win situation for users, hardware manufacturers and us.

And what does the sales responsibility look like?

We have several sales channels. On the one hand, we offer bundles - hardware plus Logiccloud license - in our online store. On the other hand, we will also be available in the online stores of various manufacturers. Ultimately, it doesn't matter where the customer buys. They always buy an automation solution and, together with the hardware manufacturer, we offer comprehensive support. The situation is different with Logiccloud virtual factory. We sell this via premium partners or direct sales.

Does this mean that your business model is now changing fundamentally?

Our business model originally only consisted of SaaS. But with Logiccloud Control - Logiccloud on the edge hardware - we have also introduced purchase licenses. The engineering portal is still free of charge. For our OEM products, we agree an individual license model with customers.

What does your future roadmap look like?

In the near future, we will continue to develop Logiccloud in all areas with functions that are useful for programmers. We have developed many basic functions in recent months. Now it's all about further improving usability. Our vision is to automate automation. To this end, we will expand our platform to include functions for AI-based engineering with the aim of creating complete proposals for an automation solution using AI - both in terms of hardware, software and HMI. We want to reduce the engineering effort by up to 80 percent. After all, the shortage of skilled workers is ultimately a showstopper for digitalization. And we want to remedy this with our products.

Visit Logiccloud at the SPS 2023: Hall 6, Stand 251/241

Looking back: Michael Böhrer 2022 on the vision of the PLC in the cloud