ARC conducts second annual OPC plant connectivity survey

The OPC Foundation announced that it has commissioned ARC for a second year to produce an OPC Plant Connectivity and Usage Survey. The ARC survey was designed to capture the current practices and future direction of the manufacturing community regarding the access and exchange of information originating on the plant floor.“ARC is a well respected market research organization with international reach and recognition and we expect to provide our OPC worldwide membership with information on OPC technology and its adoption, direction and overall OPC trends,” stated Tom Burke, President of the OPC Foundation.Connecting devices, sensors, machines, and production control systems at the plant floor level is the basis and starting point for all real-time information that will flow from this tier to upper level production management and visualization systems. Manufacturers are aware that this real-time production information is necessary to drive the visibility dashboards, portals and production intelligence solutions that enable informed decision making at upper tiers.

"The ARC Advisory Group is working closely with the OPC Foundation, and in conducting its annual OPC plant, study has uncovered several key market indicators and trends that will help both the OPC Foundation membership and users of OPC technology plan key new initiatives," stated Craig Resnick, ARC Research Director. ARC has discovered that as companies move to an environment of real-time event-driven manufacturing where information from the plant floor will drive visibility and production intelligence applications, technologies such as OPC, web services and service-based architecture, as well as existing integration methods, will provide the interoperability needed to connect the domains of the manufacturing enterprise.

The OPC Foundation Board of Directors consisting of industry leaders is charted under its non-profit bylaws to vote on important matters directing the OPC Foundation in its technical marketing and financial responsibilities. The OPC Foundation is dedicated to interoperability in automation and is an independent, non-profit organization that is comprised of leading manufacturers and solution providers in factory and process automation.