dataFEED OPC Suite Interconnects Operations Across 150 Global Sites at U.S. Food Company

Today’s data-driven manufacturers are reaping the benefits of increasingly connected automation systems, leading to higher production, less downtime and more business intelligence. However, it can be a challenge to aggregate data in a centralized cloud or on-premises server for processing and analysis with business applications. 

That’s why dataFEED OPC Suite from Softing is vital to companies looking to leverage shopfloor data and accelerate operations. 

As a robust data integration software, dataFEED OPC Suite delivers OPC Classic and OPC UA communication with cloud connectivity in one platform. Here’s one example of how a large multinational company used dataFEED OPC Suite to bridge the gaps across its many divisions around the world. 

With operations ranging from manufacturing to R&D, the U.S.-based company had several different systems in place to track productivity. While some of its locations might have some data insight into each other, for the most part, they were isolated. To gain deeper insight into operations, the company needed a centralized data management system that could unify these different architectures. By consolidating its worldwide data into one system, the company could compare different locations, as well as apply analysis to reduce downtime and unlock benefits like predictive maintenance. 

Using the Softing IoT starter kit, which includes an industrial PC (IPC), the company integrated dataFEED OPC Suite into its 150 worldwide locations over a seven-year period. Many of the company’s brownfield sites featured unencrypted communications, which required deployment of the IPC as close as possible to the PLCs. With dataFEED OPC Suite running on-premises, the company used OPC UA, OPC Classic and OPC Tunnel to aggregate its worldwide data for use in powerful cloud-based business analytics applications.

The food company chose Softing because the shop floor personnel around the world found dataFEED OPC Suite easy to install and operate. Going forward, Softing is working with the company to discuss improving its dataFEED OPC Suite infrastructure with:

• An add-on for brownfield applications
• A unified namespace across client applications
• Additional connections to local applications
• Energy management monitoring

To learn more about dataFEED OPC Suite, visit our product page.