9. A New Initiative for OPC UA

Trials started using OPC UA technology
for secure data utilization in global supply chain

The COVID-19 crisis accelerates the embodiment of Industry 4.0, and information is increasingly being distributed beyond corporate boundaries to supply chains. The motivation is to realize a sustainable society, such as carbon neutrality and resource recycling, as well as to streamline　manufacturing.
In such circumstances, a system is required to securely share digital data among companies.

To meet this social need, Omron joined interconnection trials of Gaia-X (European secure data-sharing platform project) led by NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) and started from October 2021. Omron then began an experiment using controllers with OPC UA Server functionality.

Gaia-X is an initiative announced by the German and French governments in October 2019 to support data sharing via infrastructure that ensures data protection, transparency, reliability, and interoperability to protect the rights of European companies, governments, institutions and citizens. Market participants outside Europe are invited to participate.

Against this backdrop, companies wishing to do business with European companies will likely be required to comply with Gaia-X standards from April 2022. It is also expected that this compliance will affect whether a company is selected to carry out business with European industries through data sharing.

The use of international standard technology is vital for Gaia-X-compliant, secure, and smooth information distribution that transcends the differences in practices and laws between countries and industries. To connect the data linkage platform, which NTT Com intends to commercialize, with Gaia-X, Omron uses its controllers conforming to the OPC UA and other international technology standards. Specifically, the Omron’s NX-series Controller with OPC UA Server functionality is connected to the testbed built using NTT Com-developed IDS (technical standard used for Gaia-X). The trials will verify the standardization of data models across countries and companies and the practicality of the international data linkage platform.

Overview of trials

■ Trial period

• From October 2021 to March 2022 (tentative)

■ Location

• Step 1: Japan
• Step 2: Japan and the Netherlands (expected locations)

■ What to experiment with

• Step 1: Interconnection between Omron’s controller and NTT Com’s platform prototype using OPC UA
• Step 2: Connection of Omron’s controller to data spaces in the Netherlands via NTT Com’s platform prototype

Omron has been providing its proprietary automation technologies to manufacturing sites around the world. Omron will further evolve these technologies to respond to accelerating digitalization, contributing to “innovation in the engineering chain through information integration from design and production to maintenance,” “supply chain innovation in the manufacturing industry,” and "attainment of carbon neutrality and SDGs.”

1. 1. Outline of OPC UA "The Industrial Interoperability Standard"
2. 2. Features of OPC UA “Connected, Communicated, Secured”
3. 3. Activities of OPC UA (1) Collaboration
4. 4. Activities of OPC UA (2) Compliance
5. 5. OPC UA Products and Case Studies
6. 6. Update on OPC UA
7. 7. The proliferation and evolution of OPC UA
8. 8. Case Study (Winder with OPC UA)
9. 9. A New Initiative for OPC UA