Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform: Leading the New Trend of Industrial Open Collaboration

In the field of industrial automation, open collaboration has emerged as a pivotal force driving industrial innovation and upgrading. Recently, Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform has once again become the focus of the industry, showcasing its robust development potential and broad application prospects, thanks to its exceptional openness and collaborative capabilities.

Recent Developments: Significant Achievements in Open Collaboration,Platform Advantages Stand Out, Attracting Diverse Partnerships

Built on the IEC 61499 standard, Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform employs an open "plug-and-produce" approach to automation software components, enabling control functions independent of the underlying hardware infrastructure. This platform supports collaboration with third-party hardware and software that comply with the Open Automation Standard (UAO.org), breaking free from the constraints of tightly integrated hardware and software in traditional automation systems and offering industrial users more flexible and efficient solutions.

These advantages have been fully demonstrated in practical applications. For instance, in the Smart Power Plant project by Keyuan Wisdom, adopting the Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform + Modicon M580 dPAC solution successfully constructed an intelligent fuel management platform for the entire process, helping a power plant implement an unmanned bucket wheel reclaimer solution and achieving a 5% increase in overall efficiency. On the Budweiser beer production line, by integrating the platform with AI algorithms, intelligent control strategies were formulated to optimize material addition amounts, achieving optimal overall quality, cost, and efficiency, with a 15% increase in process efficiency.

The Open Automation Organization (UAO) is dedicated to promoting portable, reusable, and vendor-independent automation application software. Since its inception by nine founding members in late 2021, UAO has successfully built a cross-vendor, cross-domain automation technology ecosystem through its shared-source runtime execution engine.

 Schneider Electric's pre-released Modicon Edge I/O NTS next-generation distributed I/O system deeply integrates the latest OPC UA over TSN network protocol while supporting multiple open Ethernet communication protocols and network topologies. This system will provide comprehensive assurance for cross-platform operation and interoperability of open automation software components, promoting collaborative development across various links in industrial automation systems.

Deepening Industry Applications to Support Enterprise Digital Transformation

The EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform will be widely applied in more industries to support enterprises in achieving digital transformation. In the municipal water sector, as of now, the platform has been successfully applied in over 30 water industry projects and has compiled a reliable set of industry standards. In the expansion project of a water plant in Shenzhen, the platform's modular encapsulation and modeling capabilities not only significantly improved engineering efficiency and maintenance convenience but also enabled the development, modification, and downloading of applications for 44 filter tanks within a single program, greatly reducing the workload of data interaction between devices.

In the future, Schneider Electric will continue to conduct practical validations in multiple industries such as traffic corridors, tunnels, water treatment, heating, food and beverage, and provide more practical application guidelines. By collaborating with participants from various fields and sectors, it will jointly drive the reshaping of the industrial structure and future prospects.

Strengthening Technological Innovation to Enhance Platform Performance

To meet evolving market demands and industrial application scenarios, Schneider Electric will continue to increase its investment in technological innovation for the EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform. The newly upgraded EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform V24.1 version has been officially released, featuring four major functional highlights. This version not only helps users further expand system scale and support a wider range of communication protocols but also enhances system reliability through the integration of advanced applications, assisting enterprises in achieving cost-effectiveness.

In the future, the platform will further integrate advanced applications such as industrial vision algorithms and digital twins to elevate the system's intelligence level. Simultaneously, it will continuously optimize the platform's usability and security, providing users with a better development experience and assurance.

Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform has achieved remarkable results in promoting industrial open collaboration and boasts a broad development prospect. With the continuous growth of the Open Automation Organization and the ongoing innovation of platform technologies, this platform will bring more innovative applications and value to the industrial automation field, supporting enterprises in achieving digital transformation and high-quality development.