OPC Foundation creates system integrator, distributor membership class

-- Plant Engineering, 4/21/2008 10:04:00 AM

Tom Burke, president and executive director, OPC Foundation

The OPC Foundation has created a new program targeted to address the opportunity to increase market share for system integrators and distributors while providing a solid foundation for these new members to offer the highest quality services in the deployment of products from different vendors.

The original focus of the OPC Foundation was targeted to vendors developing “shrink-wrap” products and providing specifications, technology and certification to facilitate multi-vendor interoperability.

From the end-user perspective, the trend is to leverage system integrators and distributors who build custom systems using products from multiple OPC vendors. OPC provides easy ways for custom software that adds value to an end user’s system by developing a custom OPC component to complete an integration project. OPC needed to provide a mechanism and membership class to facilitate the system integrators and distributors being able to design, develop and certify the custom software. The end-users’ expectations are that system integrators should increase their proficiency of the use of the OPC technology, and OPC has deliberately created a program to address this requirement.

“Initially, the system integrator makes the end-user happy by putting together a system that consists of certified OPC products from multiple vendors” said Thomas Burke, OPC president. “However, problems sometimes arise as small pieces of custom software are developed to extend the functionality, which then compromise the integrity of the system. Frequently, that simple little OPC component was not developed exactly to specifications, so making things work together is difficult.”

Often, OPC gets the blame. But regardless, it’s the end user who suffers. “The Foundation wants this to stop, for the benefit of all,” Burke said. “So we are calling on the myriad OPC system integrators out there who routinely use OPC to solve problems in the field to sign up and help raise the overall quality and reliability of OPC products.”

Burke said OPC Foundation membership fees are traditionally correlated to company annual revenue, but project values tend to be high in the automation business, necessitating a different pricing model. So, to make things easy, the Foundation is creating a new SI&D membership category with a fixed fee of $1500. “For this, the SI&D member gets access to OPC specifications and reference implementations (sample code) on which to base his products. Our free Compliance Test Tools are also available to him so he can self-certify his own custom OPC components. A special listing of SI&D members will be kept and end users will be actively encouraged to use these members for their projects,” he said.

The launch of OPC’s Unified Architecture is adding urgency because this new technology covers all levels of enterprise connectivity, often outside of the direct automation arena. “We especially urge companies thinking of implementing an OPC Unified Architecture system to join us now,” said Burke, “so that end users do not become disillusioned with our next ambitious step into the future.”

A fresh round of specialist SI&D training events is planned, together with a series of Webcasts. “We’re also developing a certification scheme, which will award successful attendees at our training classes ‘Certified OPC Provider’ status,” said Burke. “We are now establishing a network of new Test Lab services to ensure top product quality and reliability – particularly for Unified Architecture components, and our goal is to ensure that all developers, including the new SI&D membership, take full advantage of the services we offer.”