Seeking Global Consensus on IIoT Standards

Gaining consensus on both effective standards and a network architectural model for the Industrial Internet seems to be table stakes, if the possibilities of connected enterprises are ever going to reach its vast potential. Standards are difficult enough to create but, given the scope of interest and number of distinct IIoT applications, which cross between all types of industries, the problem of gaining agreement is definitely complicated.

One encouraging development in this area of IIoT consensus is a new cooperation between the Industrial Internet Consortium and Plattform Industrie 4.0.

The Plattform Industrie 4.0 (I4.0) and Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) groups are collaborating to jointly develop standards, but each has a slightly different technology focus.
(Source: Industrial Internet Consortium)

Representatives from the two groups met recently in Switzerland to explore the potential alignment of their two architecture efforts: the Reference Architecture Model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI4.0) and the Industrial Internet Reference Architecture (IIRA). According to a press release from the two groups, the meeting was a success with a common recognition of the complementary nature of the two models, an initial draft mapping showing the direct relationships between elements of the models, and a clear roadmap to ensure future interoperability. Additional possible topics included collaboration in the areas of IIC Testbeds and I4.0 Test Facility Infrastructures, as well as standardization, architectures & business outcomes in the Industrial Internet.

Differences in Focus

There are key differentiators in how each of the groups is attacking the problem, as well as a combination which brings together a much larger group of global players, that make the relationship interesting and potentially beneficial.

Plattform Industrie 4.0 has a strong focus on manufacturing, while the IIC describes its efforts as more of a cross-domain oriented approach. The RAMI 4.0 architectural model defines standards, what an Industrie 4.0 component looks like and creates a set of assembly hierarchy levels common to in-depth manufacturing concerns such as connectivity, data management, analytics, and interoperability. The Industrial Internet Reference Architecture, on the other hand, works across multiple domains including manufacturing.

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The groups reported that there are many similarities in both approaches and terminology, but the key aspect seems to be a willingness to extend collaboration and seek to reduce arbitrary differences and fragmentation. Given the explosive interest in the Industrial Internet and the need for strong standards, it’s hard to imagine how these two groups coming to vastly different conclusions would be beneficial to the total effort.

A blog post on the Industrial Internet Consortium website put the cooperation into perspective.

They added that a merger of the two architectures was both impractical and undesirable. Each domain in the Industrial Internet has its own special needs with Industrie 4.0 focused on manufacturing, and IIC is concerned about integration across domains.

All in all, one important next step will be for the groups to work jointly on test bed application development, since a key moving forward are the details of using the work done to date to create actual systems. If you haven’t visited their respective websites, it might be beneficial to see the wide range of applications that the groups are tackling.

This will enhance regular technical exchanges, and provide a way to identify mappings, differences, and enhancements on both sides, along with working on common testing and interoperability standards between the two domains.

Learn more at Atlantic Design & Manufacturing June 14-16, in New York.

Al Presher is a veteran contributing writer for Design News, covering automation and control, motion control, power transmission, robotics, and fluid power.