While plants in discrete and process manufacturing often comprise both legacy and new equipment, they still need to be controlled and managed effectively. This requires a modern communication architecture that is able to aggregate their heterogeneous data. smartLink from Softing facilitates interface-neutral data integration in complex production systems.
When it comes to expanding and operating innovative IoT solutions, IT architectures have a key role to play. What architectural issues arise at the interface between IT and OT, and how does this interface relate to 'edge' and 'cloud'? If you take these questions into account during planning you can fully exploit the potential of software, IT and innovative algorithms and make your production more efficient.
Data integration and IoT or Industrie 4.0 have been fueling the market for many years and are finally on the verge of a breakthrough and success, because it is now possible to integrate and successfully use the incredible range of technologies and the vast amount of sensors, data formats and conceivable usage scenarios. The same can be said for the volume of data currently produced. In the "Internet of Things" or Industrie 4.0, a seamless data exchange between Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) is crucial for competitiveness and success. However, this is not the only decisive factor. Production processes, both in manufacturing and in the process industry, require continuous improvement in efficiency and performance - this can only be achieved in the future through innovative, reliable data integration.
