IT in Manufacturing


Honeywell simplifies IIoT connectivity

Technews Industry Guide: Industrial Internet of Things 2017 IT in Manufacturing

Honeywell Process Solutions has announced the first robust, fully scalable software toolkit that simplifies the interconnection of industrial software systems, enabling them to communicate with each other regardless of platform, operating system or size. The Matrikon FLEX OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) software development kit (SDK) is ideal for applications where minimal memory and processing resources are common.

Intended for use by discrete and process industry manufacturers, commercial customers, and automation OEMs, Matrikon FLEX is a high-performance developer toolkit that enables any application, regardless of size, with OPC UA. It is the only SDK that meets the entire scope of market requirements – from small, embedded chips to enterprise servers. It will be a key component of Honeywell’s Connected Plant.

“Honeywell Connected Plant is our holistic approach to anticipating and meeting the needs of customers by leveraging the power of the IIoT,” said Shree Dandekar, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Connected Plant. “Within this environment, OPC UA plays a key role in enabling outcome-based business solutions. Our introduction of Matrikon FLEX underscores the importance of this technology.”

Growing adoption of the IIoT and Industrie 4.0 is driving requirements for open and secure connectivity between devices e.g. machine-to-machine or M2M and edge-to-cloud solutions. Since OPC UA serves as a key data connectivity standard, vendors are seeking to enable their new and existing products with this technology to compete in the IIoT/Industrie 4.0 landscape.

According to Arun Ananthampalayam, Honeywell Connected Plant senior product marketing manager, the new Matrikon FLEX SDK delivers a one-stop-shop client and server solution for industrial organisations with diverse connectivity needs.

“The SDK incorporates embedded-first principles, which makes it smaller and more suitable for use in resource-constrained applications when building a highly scalable architecture,” said Ananthampalayam. “Also it has low memory requirements, and as such, operates efficiently so there are sufficient CPU resources for correct device functionality.”

Tom Burke, president and executive director, OPC Foundation, commented, “In order to implement OPC UA, suppliers need a toolkit to minimise development time and effort, and deliver secure and reliable products. Honeywell’s new SDK is ideal for companies getting started with OPC UA to take advantage of the growth of the IIoT. It provides a way to launch OPC UA-enabled products faster and with fewer changes.”

With its ‘server/client-in-a-box’ design, Matrikon FLEX provides a fast, seamless method of implementing optimised, reliable OPC UA products without requiring development personnel to be OPC UA experts. Unlike vendors requiring a separate OPC UA toolkit when implementing products on different platforms, Honeywell offers the only toolkit that developers need to use, maintain and update all of their products. It is an efficient and cost-effective answer to deploying IIoT connectivity across a product portfolio – and ultimately taking products to market sooner.

Matrikon FLEX also employs a robust and reliable design to maximise product uptime. This approach allows OPC UA to be implemented in products with minimal computing resources. The toolkit provides reliable, pool-based memory management and runs on virtually any system: from resource-constrained embedded platforms to powerful, PC-based applications.

By using the toolkit, vendors can confidently focus their development efforts and resources on core business competencies, knowing their products deliver industry-leading interoperability and security as well as reliable data connectivity.

For more information contact Boni Magudulela, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected], www.honeywellprocess.com





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

How AI is transforming software engineering in South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of software engineering, particularly in South Africa, where the demand for innovative solutions is rapidly increasing.

Read more...
Top five manufacturing automation trends for 2025
Omron Electronics IT in Manufacturing
As we step into 2025, the world of industrial automation is approaching a new chapter. According to OMRON’s SINIC Theory, which ties technological advances to societal change, we’re now moving from the Optimisation Society to the Autonomous Society.

Read more...
PDS expansion into southern Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Benefiting from South Africa’s role as a global pioneer in proximity detection systems, other countries in the region are embracing this safety and monitoring technology to great effect.

Read more...
Bridging the gap between cybersecurity risk and awareness
IT in Manufacturing
Much like the rest of the world, South Africa grapples with challenges emanating from a digital landscape fraught with escalating cyberthreats that pose significant risks to businesses and other organisations.

Read more...
Data has a massive carbon footprint
IT in Manufacturing
The exponential growth of data has led to significant business challenges and environmental concerns for organisations to address. Data sprawl and redundancy increase storage requirements, consuming vast amounts of resources and energy.

Read more...
Photorealism-enhanced digital twin with digital reality viewer
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced its Teamcenter Digital Reality Viewer, a new software solution that brings the NVIDIA Omniverse platform and accelerated computing to Teamcenter, enabling high-quality, high-performance photorealistic visualisation of large, complex datasets common in engineering and manufacturing.

Read more...
Quantum refrigerator paves way for reliable quantum computers
IT in Manufacturing
Quantum computers require extreme cooling to perform reliable calculations. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Maryland, USA, have engineered a new type of refrigerator that can autonomously cool superconducting qubits to record low temperatures, paving the way for more reliable quantum computation.

Read more...
Quantum leap or quantum risk? Balancing innovation and security
IT in Manufacturing
The emergence of quantum computing represents a transformative shift in technology, promising unparalleled computational power while posing significant risks, particularly cybersecurity.

Read more...
What is process automation and how can AI help?
IT in Manufacturing
Process automation uses software and technologies to automate corporate processes and functions to achieve organisational goals. These goals can include manufacturing a product, hiring an employee or providing customer service.

Read more...
Proactive maintenance for long-term sustainability
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
: Businesses should prioritise long-term sustainability by implementing proactive maintenance strategies, acknowledging the strategic value of investing in maintenance and after-sales support

Read more...