Webinar Series

Digital Plant Asset Management (PAM) plays a crucial role in streamlining production processes and maximizing plant efficiency. If plant managers want to unlock the full potential of PAM solutions, they must establish a seamless data flow between plant data from field devices to PAM applications. In our webinar, we will present innovative connectivity solutions that make this possible in a simple and flexible way.

In the webinar, you will learn:

• What typical architectures for solutions with PAM, controllers, remote IOs, connectivity and field devices look like
• How field devices (e.g. HART or PROFIBUS) can be integrated with AMS Device Manager from Emerson, FieldCare from Endress + Hauser or PACTware
• What features and benefits the smartLink product family from Softing Industrial offers for the seamless integration of field devices into plant asset management systems  
• Based on two case studies: how Softing products are successfully used in production environments in the process industry.

Speakers:
Dr. Christopher Anhalt & Thomas Rummel

An increasing number of devices in automation networks support the OPC UA interoperability standard to provide data. At the same time, OPC UA is supported by more and more IT applications on the client side. To ensure that the transition between OT and IT is successful, several prerequisites must be met. This includes, e.g., the integration of different data sources and the provision of standardized interfaces. In the webinar, we will show you solutions for secure data integration and efficient use of the available data.

The webinar will inform you about:

• How to connect a large number of OPC UA data sources with various OPC UA client applications efficiently and with manageable configuration effort.
• How to provide a uniform interface in the direction of IT for a multi-site IIoT solution with different automation networks.
• Ways for efficient use of the semantic information offered in the OT interfaces in IT or within a central platform - for example for the automated construction of asset models.
• How to use Softing's Secure Integration Server to efficiently and securely deploy the OPC UA standard at the interface between OT and IT.

Speaker:

Andreas Röck, Head of Product Management Softing Industrial Nürnberg

The storage of production data is a key component within a comprehensive Industrie 4.0 solution. After all, the availability of data provides the basis for documentation, analysis, or verification and allows improved production control as well as steps for optimization. In the webinar we will inform you about the ways of secure and efficient data storage in modern database solutions.

In the webinar you will learn about:

• the possibilities of storing process data in modern database solutions - for data from new and old control systems.
• the functionality of caching when the connection is lost and automatic forwarding when the connection to the database is restored.
• in a LIVE demo:
  how to read data from a Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 using Softing's dataFEED OPC Suite and storing it in an InfluxDB.

Speaker:

Andreas Röck, Head of Product Management Softing Industrial Nürnberg

Industrial edge computing, i.e., the processing of process and machine data close to devices in automation networks, is becoming increasingly important for plant operators as part of innovative IoT solutions that extend across multiple locations. 

The joint webinar by Softing Industrial and WAGO informs about suitable software and hardware solutions that enable the easy integration of machine connectivity and edge computing.

In the first part of the webinar, Softing Industrial will:

• give an overview of connectivity products suitable for integration with edge computing. 
• provide an insight into specific projects, in which these products are already being used in production environments today.

In the second part of the webinar, WAGO will show:

• which hardware products for edge computing and comprehensive data integration are available today.
• how containerized software modules can be operated with these products for easy connection of controllers and CNC machines.
• how data (e.g., energy or temperature) not (yet) located in the controllers and CNC machines can be captured via separate interfaces.

Finally, you will learn how the combination of Softing and WAGO products helps to efficiently implement and manage IoT solutions throughout their lifecycle.

Speakers:

Dr. Christopher Anhalt, Vice President Product Marketing, Softing Industrial

Jürgen Pfeifer, IoT & Cloud Partnermanager, WAGO

There are many advantages for operators of CNC machines when they are integrated into innovative IoT solutions. These include increasing machine productivity, determining OEE key figures for optimization purposes, or evaluating machine data for predictive maintenance.

In most cases, the prerequisite for implementation is direct access by the IoT applications to the CNC machine data.

In the joint webinar by Softing Industrial and EVOMECS, you will learn how a fast integration succeeds and how CNC machines can be operated efficiently.

In part one of the webinar, Softing Industrial will demonstrate: 

• how CNC machines can be easily and flexibly connected to innovative IoT solutions.
• in a LIVE demo: how to access data from Siemens SINUMERIK machines with edgeConnector 840D.

In part two of the webinar, you'll learn from EVOMECS:

• which applications for the efficient operation of CNC machines are already available today.
• in a LIVE demo: how you can easily display the machine status via a cloud-enabled and user-configurable application.

Speakers:
Stefan Gebele, Solution Engineer IIoT & Team Lead, Softing Industrial Automation

Edwin Staudacker, Head of Product Management, EVOMECS

Proof of concepts (PoCs) for innovative IoT solutions exist in large numbers. However, a broad roll-out of these solutions is still a major challenge for many. For users from shopfloor IT, automation technology and related areas, this raises the question of how they can implement and operate modern IoT solutions in a simple and scalable way.

The joint webinar by Softing Industrial and Portainer.io provides answers to this question and shows solution concepts.

In part 1 of the webinar, you will learn from Softing Industrial:

• Which connectivity products (hardware, Windows application, container) are available for the integration of machine data
• What the respective advantages and disadvantages are - depending on the user‘s operating concepts
• Why containerized products often provide significant advantages in the context of innovative IoT solutions

In part 2 of the webinar Portainer.io shows you

• What the features of the container management platform „Portainer“ are
• How Portainer can be used to efficiently manage software modules on the edge infrastructure, for example for machine connectivity - in a live demo using the Softing product „edgeConnector Siemens“ as an example

Efficient access to machine and process data is of central importance for both traditional shopfloor applications and innovative IoT solutions. Plant manufacturers, operators, and maintenance personnel are therefore faced with the challenge of ensuring data availability.

However, especially in plants with old controllers, data acquisition can be very difficult. This is where the OPC UA standard has proven to be the best choice due to its independence from operating systems, protocols, and drivers. Using Siemens S5 and S7 controllers as examples, we will present solutions in the webinar that can be used to read data easily. We will also show you how this data can be made available for various applications via standardized interfaces such as OPC UA and MQTT.

In the webinar you will learn:

• How to connect Siemens SIMATIC S5 PLCs via Ethernet
• How to collect data from Siemens SIMATIC S5 and S7 PLCs and integrate them into modern Industry 4.0 solutions via OPC UA
• Using a practical example and a live demo: How to integrate data easily and securely with the help of dataFEED OPC Suite Extended from Softing Industrial - a software solution for OPC communication and IoT cloud connectivity

Industrial Edge Computing, i.e. the processing of process and machine data close to the source, close to devices in automation networks, is becoming increasingly important as part of innovative IoT solutions.

In the first part of the webinar, Siemens introduces the topic of Industrial Edge Computing and its basic concepts. You will learn how Industrial IoT solutions, for example for dashboarding or energy management, can be implemented with the Siemens Industrial Edge, why machine connectivity is relevant for this, and what benefits the open ecosystem of the Siemens Industrial Edge offers customers.

In the second part of the webinar, Softing explains how machine connectivity can be realized for Industrial IoT solutions. As a partner of Siemens, Softing Industrial develops connectivity products specifically for the Siemens Industrial Edge. Using a live demo of Softing‘s edgePlug Fanuc product, users will learn how machine data from third-party devices can be integrated into the Siemens Industrial Edge.