Challenges

1. Vendor Lock-In and Complex Tooling:

Companies in the process industry rely on a mix of legacy PLCs from different vendors, each requiring specialized local software tools for programming and maintenance. This complex ecosystem demands numerous licenses, leading to high costs and logistical challenges in ensuring compatibility and updates across the entire operation. Engineers often have to navigate through multiple software environments, increasing the risk of errors and operational downtime.

2. Inefficient Data Integration and Infrastructure:

Existing setups often involve vendor-locked control systems with proprietary drivers and data infrastructure, making data integration with other systems difficult and costly. Such infrastructures limit a company’s ability to adapt to new technologies, and a failure in any system can disrupt the entire operation.

3. Lack of Standardized Control Logic:

Different facilities and plants operate with non-standardized control logic, leading to inefficiencies in scaling operations and implementing new processes. The absence of a unified programming standard can make it difficult to deploy consistent automation logic across different sites, slowing down innovation and increasing operational complexity.

4. Absence of Modern IT Workflows:

Without a centralized version control system, managing software updates and maintaining consistency across a fleet industrial controllers becomes a significant challenge. The lack of modern IT practices, such as automated fleet management and code verification processes, can lead to prolonged maintenance cycles and increased risk of downtime.

How OTee solves these:

1. Eliminating Vendor Lock-In with Virtual PLCs:

OTee offers a virtual PLC deployment that can replace the need for proprietary hardware and software, allowing the company to break free from vendor lock-in. The virtual PLCs seamlessly utilize the I/O from existing ethernet-based systems, enabling a transition to an open-standard architecture that is both flexible and scalable.

2. Unified Data Infrastructure:

With OTee’s platform, the company can utilize a robust, pub-sub infrastructure built on open standards. Then using OTee services like NATS, MQTT or OPC-UA, the architecture allows for seamless integration of data from various sources—both internal and external—into a single, cohesive system. The result is improved data accessibility, better decision-making, and enhanced operational efficiency.

3. Standardization and Compliance:

OTee platform enables the company to standardize control logic across all facilities by adhering to the IEC 61131 international standard. This allows for consistent and rapid deployment of automation processes, reducing the time and effort required to scale operations across multiple sites. Code import and export functions in the system also ensures that you are not locked into OTee. 

4. Reliable Data Handling and Fast Execution:

OTee ensures that all virtual PLCs buffer their local data, which is then forwarded to an online message queue broker with advanced queuing capabilities. This setup virtually eliminates data loss during network disruptions. Additionally, the virtual PLCs operate in the sub-millisecond range, providing the real-time performance required for critical process control in operations.

5. Integration of Modern IT Workflows:

OTee incorporates a centralized, Git-based version control system that streamlines software updates and ensures consistent deployment across all facilities. The platform also includes modern IT work processes such as version control, QA processes for code verification, and automated fleet management. These features significantly reduce maintenance time, improve system reliability, and enable more agile operations.

Benefits

By implementing OTee's IIoT cloud platform, the company could achieve:

• Cost Savings: Reduce the need for multiple software licenses and decrease engineering hours spent on managing and updating PLCs (and engineering machines) across the organization.

• Improved Uptime and Reliability: Enhance data integrity and minimize unexpected downtime, resulting in increased operational safety and more efficient production processes.

• Operational Standardization: Streamline control logic across all facilities, enabling consistent and scalable automation processes that are easier to manage and update.

• Scalability and Flexibility: Deploy and manage virtual PLCs across multiple sites, facilitating easy scaling of operations and adaptation to new industry demands.

• Future-Ready Infrastructure: Transition to an open, vendor-neutral architecture that supports modern IT workflows and positions your company for future technological advancements. Centralize the company around technology instead of vendors.