IT in Manufacturing


Kepware releases new version of flagship industrial connectivity platform

Technews Industry Guide - Industrial Internet of Things 2016 IT in Manufacturing

Kepware’s KEPServerEX version 5.20 delivers enhancements for current users while advancing IoT offerings for improved IT/OT collaboration. KEPServer EX OPC Server has grown to a powerful communications integration platform.

Kepware Technologies, a software development company focused on industrial connectivity, recently announced the release of its KEPServerEX version 5.20 OPC Server Software. Key enhancements offer additional device and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity for customers in several vertical industries, including building automation, manufacturing, and oil and gas.

“Our goal with this latest product release is to balance the needs of existing installations while developing new functionality for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” said Tony Paine, platform president, Kepware. “Our commitment to supporting today’s requirements and tomorrow’s possibilities resulted in many important updates to our flagship product – including improvements to our BACnet/IP driver and a new ThingWorx agent that expands our IoT Gateway offering.”

The enhanced BACnet/IP driver offers users in the building automation industry even more options for connectivity and control through its new support of the Accumulator Standard Object, Object-Level Command Priority, and Alarm and Event Services. These updates come amidst growing global demand – especially in Japan – driven by energy efficiency initiatives, smart building design, and system integration efforts for building automation.

The ThingWorx agent, now available in the IoT Gateway for KEPServerEX, provides improved interoperability with the ThingWorx IoT Platform. The agent enables users to move industrial data on the edge into ThingWorx using the secure ThingWorx binary protocol for high throughput. This not only provides a seamless user experience between the two technologies, but also advances parent company, PTC, as a leading IoT software provider. Additional updates to the IoT Gateway include support for MQTT writes, Array writes, and Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).

“Our newest research shows that over 60% of industrial companies are now working on a digital transformation initiative like Industrie 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing,” said Matthew Littlefield, president and principal analyst, LNS Research. “The enabling technology for these transformations is the IIoT Platform, including connectivity, cloud, big data analytics, and application development. Solutions like the Kepware IoT Gateway allow companies cost-effectively to transcend traditional control hierarchies and use information in the most effective way possible.”

PTC is a global provider of technology platforms and solutions that transform how companies create, operate, and service the ‘things’ in the Internet of Things. The company’s next-generation ThingWorx technology platform gives developers the tools they need to capture, analyse, and capitalise on the vast amounts of data being generated by smart, connected products and systems. The company’s field-proven solutions are deployed in more than 26 000 businesses worldwide to generate a product or service advantage. PTC’s award-winning CEO, considered an industry thought leader, co-authored the definitive guides to the impact of the IoT on business in the Harvard Business Review.

eTX Data Services has a 14 years partner relationship with Kepware. This partnership is now expanding to include 1Worx, the official SA distributor for the PTC ThingWorx platform.

For more information contact Neil Upfold, eTX Data Services, +27 (0)83 325 4139, neilu@etx.co.za, www.kepware.co.za



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