- OPC UA standardizes machine communication, reducing development and adaptation efforts in mechanical engineering.
- Standardized integration lowers costs by minimizing production downtime associated with commissioning and customization.
- OPC UA and Companion Specifications ensure compliance with the EU Data Act requirements on data access and usability.
- Over 90% of companies in the sector have integrated or are implementing OPC UA interfaces, highlighting its industry importance.
OPC UA and the associated Companion Specifications are playing an increasingly important role in mechanical engineering. They offer a communication architecture that goes far beyond the function of a pure protocol.
The standard is particularly valued in more than 11 specialist areas of the VDMA, such as compressors and compressed air technology, food processing machinery, integrated assembly solutions, and machine vision, due to its protocol independence and long-term investment security.
But what influence do OPC UA and the Companion Specifications have on mechanical engineering? What are the advantages? How is OPC UA rated in this industry? Who better to answer these questions than an expert from the VDMA, Europe's largest industrial association for mechanical engineering?
Andreas Faath, head of the VDMA's Machine Information Interoperability (MII) department, talks to Anja Van Bocxlaer about the latest developments and prospects for OPC UA in mechanical engineering.
Interview with Andreas Faath
1. Where do you see the advantages for companies in mechanical engineering when it comes to the integration of OPC UA?
Andreas Faath: The advantages of integrating OPC UA for companies in the mechanical engineering industry lie particularly in the standardization of interfaces. The use of OPC UA reduces the effort required for customer-specific adaptations and the development of numerous individual interfaces.
This frees up considerable resources and financial means that can instead be used for innovation and value-adding activities. This is particularly important in globalized markets, where differentiation based solely on hardware is becoming increasingly difficult. Competition is intensifying.
2. How can mechanical engineering reduce costs and increase efficiency through standardized integration?
Andreas Faath: A key challenge in mechanical engineering is the integration of new, highly specialized machines into existing system landscapes. The focus here is on interoperability in order to network heterogeneous machine parks efficiently and seamlessly.
The expectation is that standardized communication protocols will help companies solve these compatibility problems. Uniform, manufacturer-independent communication allows machines to be integrated into existing production environments more quickly and easily. This enables user-specific machine configurations without being tied to a particular supplier.
A key advantage of this standardized integration is the reduction in integration costs, which are directly related to downtime during commissioning and adaptation. The faster and more efficient the integration, the lower the costs for production interruptions and adaptation efforts.
Andreas Faath - Managing Director, Machine Information Interoperability Department
At the same time, flexibility in machine selection offers companies the opportunity to implement optimally adapted production solutions without being tied to specific manufacturers. Mechanical engineering benefits directly from this increase in efficiency, both as a supplier and as a user of its own systems.
3. How does OPC UA, in conjunction with the Companion Specifications, support the requirements of the EU Data Act?
Andreas Faath: From the VDMA's perspective, OPC UA and the Companion Specifications regulate three central requirements in mechanical engineering:
Data must be readable and understandable for humans and machines.
It must be accessible and free of charge.
It must provide data from production that is not directly relevant to competition.
All of this is possible with OPC UA. Users of the EU Data Act can easily meet all three requirements with the help of the Companion Specs.
The legislator emphasizes the need to use standardized solutions to increase interoperability. With the EU Data Regulation, which came into force on January 11, 2024, users of networked products, including customers in the mechanical and plant engineering sector, will in future have the right to access certain data generated during use.
Here, for example, the OPC UA Companion Specifications should be used to make it easier to implement the EU Data Regulation. For us, interoperability will become a hygiene factor in the future, without which the potential of digitalization cannot be efficiently exploited.
4. How is OPC UA rated in mechanical engineering today?
Andreas Faath: Since its introduction in mechanical engineering, OPC UA has developed from an initial hype in 2018 and 2019 into a stable and practical technology. Today, the topic is no longer perceived as hype, but as an essential part of operational business.
With OPC UA, we are now in a phase where it is becoming clear that implementation in practice is much more complex than was initially presented in theory.
Andreas Faath - Managing Director, Machine Information Interoperability Department
VDMA surveys conducted in recent years show that approximately 91 percent of companies have either already integrated an OPC UA interface or are currently implementing it in their development projects. Only a small proportion of companies show little interest in the technology.
71 percent of companies that have already implemented OPC UA or are planning to do so state that the importance of OPC UA in the Companion Specifications is rated as high to very high.
