Founded in 2007, nxtControl was launched ten years ago with the aim of advancing the engineering of automation systems based on IEC 61499. IEC 61499 is the successor standard to IEC 61131 and is intended to eliminate its weaknesses in the distribution of control logic in a decentralized system. Today, the software company employs around 20 people and in recent years has developed a Distributed Control System (DCS) based on IEC 61499 with seamless integration from the field to the Scada level.

With their tools and solutions, the Austrians today address end users on the one hand, but primarily OEMs who want to integrate nxtControl's technology into their own control concepts. The latter was probably also the motivation for Schneider Electric to make the purchase. Fabrice Jadot, CTO of the Industry Business Unit of the French group: "The innovative solution from nxtControl based on the IEC 61499 standard enables us to meet the future requirements for Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0. As such, it will be a key technology for our EcoStruxure architecture."

According to Arnold Kopitar, one of the two Managing Directors of nxtControl, the company will continue to operate independently after the takeover. There will also be no personnel changes for the time being. This means that both Arnold Kopitar and his co-managing director Horst Mayer will remain on board. When asked what ultimately prompted nxtControl to sell, Kopitar replies: "Our target customers on the OEM side were the large automation providers right from the start. We soon realized that if they like something, they want it. In this respect, the question of an investment was always quickly raised. As two venture capital investors had also been involved since 2009, a sale of the company was inevitable at some point. And the contacts with Schneider Electric itself have also existed for several years."

nxtControl intends to continue its business with both existing end customers and OEM customers unchanged after the takeover. When asked about possible conflicts of interest, Kopitar replies: "There will certainly be one or two cases where existing customers are in competition with Schneider. Ultimately, however, it is our goal and that of our new owner to spread the IEC 61499 standard and find supporters for the technology."