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CC-Link and OPC agree to collaborate on an interface
Published:  09 May, 2016

At the recent Hannover Fair, the OPC Foundation and the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) signed a memorandum of understanding under which they will cooperate to develop an interface specification with harmonised access. The interface will connect CC-Link networks and devices to the cloud, and allow users of CC-Link networks to exchange data with other systems.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the CLPA’s global director, Naomi Nakamura, said “our aim is to make the task of getting data from machines simpler by supporting edge computing. By extending our CSP+ technology, combined with OPC-UA, machines will be treated as if they were just a single device. This will allow information to be easily shared throughout an enterprise and beyond.

“CLPA is at the forefront of offering solutions that help users to achieve their Industry 4.0 aspirations,” she added. “For example, CC-Link IE already offers the greatest bandwidth for these applications with our unique gigabit Ethernet. By working with the OPC Foundation, we now want to take this a step further."

OPC Foundation president and executive director, Tom Burke, said that the collaboration will provide “a complete solution for CC-Link networks and devices to the cloud. End-users who have selected the reliable CC-Link networks will also be able to integrate with other disparate systems to achieve complete data and information exchange”.

OPC president Tom Burke with CLPA global director, Naomi Nakamura, at the signing ceremony in Hannover

The CLPA develops and promotes open network technologies including CC-Link IE (Industrial Ethernet) and CC Link (fieldbus). It has more than 2,600 member companies worldwide

The OPC Foundation pursues interoperability in industrial automation by creating open specifications that standardise the communication of process data, and alarm and event records, to multi-vendor enterprise systems and between production devices. The aim is to provide a foundation for moving information vertically from the factory-floor through an enterprise of multi-vendor systems, as well as providing interoperability between devices on industrial networks from different vendors.