Open Process Automation

Open Process Automation (OPA) technologies, and Industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform capabilities, allow products from multiple vendors to interoperate as a single, cohesive system, thus enabling increased options for automation and drive competition for delivering future innovation.

Industrial IoT and Digital Twin technologies enable real-time access to manufacturing data to reduce downtime and energy consumption, improve safety and efficiency, and more. There are many impressive Industrial IoT software platforms on the market, offered by major equipment and software suppliers. However, a common weakness found across the vast majority of the Industrial IoT software solutions is at the edge: plug-and-play connectivity to equipment for real-time data access, and the execution of real-time apps both on-premises and in the cloud. ADI’s ADEPT software is proving itself as one of the best, if not the best, solution for real-time plug-and-play connectivity and Digital Twin capability for manufacturing excellence. For many customers, ADEPT is only a component of their complete Industrial IoT platform solution, but is recognized as a critical, depended-on component.

OPA is one example approach for how Industrial IoT can enable disparate systems from different suppliers to interoperate and function as a single, cohesive unit. Adoption of OPA principles provides access to data throughout, allowing automations across system, and control domain boundaries, as appropriate. By embracing Industry 4.0 technologies, your organization can reduce risk, downtime, and energy consumption, while improving safety, automation, and efficiency.

In 2019, the Open Process Automation Forum, O-PAF, a standards organization managed by The Open Group, released version 1.0 of the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS).  

The most beneficial solutions for digital engineering and digital transformation are not made available from any single supplier of digital solutions at any single point in time. Remaining competitive requires integration of a multitude of seemingly disparate technologies in such a way as to act as a single organism. Applying open process automation concepts removes innovation roadblocks by allowing engineers and manufacturers to seamlessly integrate solutions from multiple providers.  No longer locked into a single control platform, engineers will enjoy greater choice and be able to implement stepwise improvements continuously for every product iteration and throughout the life of manufacturing assets