It is not very often a leading technical expert from Microsoft itself can be heard to say, "I do not know of anyone else doing anything like this". This is what happened at a recent unveiling of VIZNET, local company Adroit Technologies' revolutionary data visualisation development framework built on Microsoft Windows .NET platform.
In order to get a better understanding of the VIZNET technology it is important to understand what Microsoft Windows .NET is about and why Bill Gates, at the launch, stated that the move from the current Windows paradigm to .NET is greater than the shift from DOS (disk operating system) to Windows.
Mike Lamusse, technical director of Adroit Technologies explains, "The general idea behind Microsoft .NET is to enable developers of applications to develop products and services that reside on the Internet. In addition, applications can interact with each other securely and safely, by exposing their data via an XML (extensible markup language) interface technology commonly referred to as a 'Web service'. The Microsoft .NET development tools and the .NET framework takes care of the connection and security or 'plumbing' between such applications allowing developers to concentrate on building the product, rather than the infrastructure."
VIZNET from Adroit Technologies blends a Visual Studio-like development environment with an intuitive set of computer aided design (CAD) tools. Using a Windows Forms-based approach users can mix quality graphics with any Windows Controls to build a graphical user interface that will self deploy to users machines - whether this be a LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network) - or the Internet.
VIZNET is designed in client-server architecture, the server side of the product offers access to a multitude of data sources such as supervisory control and data acquisition (scada), databases, OLE for process control (OPC) servers and other Web services for complete supply chain integration.
It was no surprise when a US-based leader in configurable manufacturing execution systems (MES), Cimnet, recognised the inherent advantage of utilising VIZNET to scale the divide between enterprise resource planning (ERP) and the shop-floor, across the world. Cimnet recently acquired a minority stake in Adroit Technologies and entered into a licensing agreement for an interest in the VIZNET software. The agreement allows for the joint development of a new .NET version of Factelligenceä, Cimnet's configurable manufacturing execution systems (MES) product.
In addition to the competitive advantage of obtaining an 18 month lead-time (and over 10 man-years of development) on a user-interface (UI) framework, one of the biggest benefits of the acquisition of the VIZNET framework is that Cimnet obtain a client side environment which provides them with the tools necessary to extend their MES framework and their product offering with the inclusion of an HMI (human machine interface).
The joint product, due for release in the fourth quarter of this year, will yield manufacturing modules that are completely configurable for rapid implementation. The new Factelligenceä product will be fully extensible by IT departments and system integrators using C# and or VB.Net available in the same application as Adroit's award winning HMI. The new suite of modules also offers VIZNET'S drag and drop design environment to rapidly custom build user interfaces according to the needs of users.
Dave Wibberley, CEO of Adroit Technologies comments, "Cimnet has developed a highly successful, configurable MES called Factelligenceä. The two companies' joint vision in its first stage is to integrate MES and HMI, providing Cimnet with an environment that could easily deploy a visual user interface to its MES."
Mike Lamusse, technical director for Adroit comments, "With the inclusion of the VIZNET framework Cimnet can design a user environment on Webforms to provide Factelligenceä customers with access to the Factelligenceä server component via a thin client."
Wibberley's conception of VIZNET came about when he identified a need in the market for a .NET user-interface product. He says, "Historically, user-interfaces have not been very open and are generally specific to a product. The complexity of user-interface development is enormous, and VIZNET's core intellectual property lies in delivering the same quality and easy-to-use product that Adroit is renowned for. We are looking for complementary partner companies that can all independently extend the framework. This way customers across the enterprise, manufacturing and process space can choose best-of-breed products that all leverage the VIZNET framework. Delivering any information necessary to improve the execution of their business from HMI, MES, business intelligence, reporting, asset management even ERP."
On the more technical side the VIZNET framework allows for the development of server and client side plug-ins allowing advanced users and developers to quickly develop new applications by simple extension. The product offers end-users the ability to develop screens in an environment very similar to Microsoft's Visual Studio, thus accessing attributes without having to know about development to build a graphical UI to visualise data. Additionally the product is deployable over the Web, as well as having all security aspects covered.
The Microsoft .NET benefit is that it allows developers to write applications that exist on an Internet. Development is also considerably easier and quicker, and allows applications to operate seamlessly and securely with each other. Extending this example to the manufacturing environment as a whole, companies can use VIZNET to interrogate and extend their entire supply chain to any trader who supplies a Web service. In this way, companies could make more informed decisions about their manufacturing process both up and down stream.
Cimnet and Adroit had been tracking each other for some time before the deal. In September 2003, Wibberley contacted chief information officer, Tony Crouch at Cimnet to update him on the progress of the VIZNET project. Cimnet had been looking to move into the .NET space on the UI side and had considered outsourcing the development to a company in the Ukraine.
Following a demonstration of the basic VIZNET framework over the Web, John Richardson, Cimnet's CEO, accompanied Crouch on a five day visit in October during which Crouch is quoted as saying, "VIZNET is one of the best pieces of software I have seen. The Adroit development team has produced a framework that breaks the barriers and will allow Cimnet to bring the next generation of MES/HMI to the market easily and quickly, giving us a great competitive advantage."
Out of the visit arose talks of developing a single product combining the core capabilities of the two companies. Cimnet plan to develop their next version of Factelligenceä based on VIZNET with thin client capability and tighter integration with other disciplines across the users company and supply chain.
Wibberley states, "After identifying the original equipment manufacturers, (OEM) market as a potential outlet for VIZNET, Adroit can put a great feather in its cap that the first customer to see the product has taken it even before release."
For more information contact Dave Wibberley, CEO, Adroit Technologies, 011 781 3513, [email protected], www.adroit.co.za
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