EtherCAT and OPC defining common interfaces for Industrie 4.0 and IoT

The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) and the OPC Foundation to define and develop common interfaces for Industrie 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) in close cooperation. The objective is to support Industrie 4.0 and IoT to have a seamless and continuous communication through all layers and levels within the digital factory, as well as externally through cloud-based services and other Internet technologies. Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group, and Thomas J. Burke, President and Executive Director of the OPC Foundation, signed the MoU at the Hannover Messe 2015 trade show. “With this agreement, we create the prerequisites to integrate EtherCAT systems consistently into Industrie 4.0 and IoT architectures. Within the ETG Technical Committee, we decided in October 2014 that OPC UA is our choice for the connection with cloud systems and the IT world. Development thus far has proved this to be the correct choice, and we look forward to collaborating in the creation of mutually-beneficial definitions of the common interfaces,” says Martin Rostan. Thomas Burke adds: “EtherCAT is one of the leading technologies on the field level and provides an ideal complement to our functionality. OPC UA is not a competitor of fieldbuses; it seeks to enable the consistent, safe, and scalable communication of such systems into the IT world. Thanks to the com...