DIN standard will ease IT to factory comms

Published: 04 May, 2018

A group of automation and IT organisations has joined forces to develop a standard to help ensure streamlined communications between IT systems and physical devices. Under the leadership of the German DIN standards body, they plan to draw up a DIN Spec standard – a way of fast-tracking the standardisation process, which could lead to the standard being completed by the end of this year.

Those involved in developing DIN Spec 92222 include GE, Hitachi, IBM, Kuka, Microsoft, Phoenix Contact, Bosch, Schaeffler, Wittenstein, VDMA, Fraunhofer and Assystem Technologies. Their aim is provide a “Reference Model for Industrial Cloud Federation”.

The project covers cloud-based communications (or edge components) across all of the machines in a manufacturing plant, as well as to third-party cloud systems. The developers say it will benefit machine and plant operators and manufacturers – especially those that offer and use cloud-based services and systems – as well as providers of remote services.

The DIN organisation will ensure that the DIN Spec standard does not conflict with existing norms. A DIN Spec can form the basis for a full DIN standard.