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Anheuser-Busch InBev, BMW Group, Bosch Group, Microsoft, ZF
Friedrichshafen AG named OMP steering committee members -
OMP was established in 2019 as an independent initiative under
the umbrella of the Joint Development Foundation -
First working groups created: IoT Connectivity, Semantic Data
Model, Industrial IoT Reference Architecture, and Core Services
for Autonomous Transport Systems
Berlin/company location, February 19, 2020. The Open
Manufacturing Platform (OMP) has expanded, with new steering committee
members and new working groups established. OMP is an alliance founded
in 2019 to help manufacturing companies accelerate innovation at scale
through cross-industry collaboration, knowledge and data sharing as
well as access to new technologies. The OMP was founded under the
umbrella of the Joint Development Foundation, which is part of the
Linux Foundation. Original members The BMW Group, and
Microsoft welcome Anheuser-Busch InBev (AbInBev),
Bosch Group, and ZF
Friedrichshafen
AG, as steering committee members. The OMP steering committee
has approved a number of working groups to focus on core areas
important to the industry, including IoT connectivity, semantic data
models, Industrial IoT reference architecture, and core services for
ATS (autonomous transport systems).
Common approach to industry challenges.
The expansion of intelligent manufacturing is driving new
efficiencies and increased productivity, as well as revealing new
challenges. Within the industry, legacy and proprietary systems have
resulted in data silos, making operationwide insight and
transformation daunting. As common challenges across the industry,
they often require a high degree of investment for modest returns
within any one organization. The OMP has been developed to address
this, where manufacturers and their value chains come together to
identify and develop solutions that address these nondifferentiating
problems. It brings together experts across the manufacturing sector –
including discrete and process manufacturing, transportation and
consumer goods, industrial equipment and more.
“Our goal is to drive manufacturing innovation at scale, accelerate
time-to-value and drive production efficiencies by jointly solving
mutual challenges, based on an open community approach. The OMP helps
manufacturing companies unlock the potential of their data, implement
industrial solutions faster and more securely, and benefit from
industrial contributions while preserving their intellectual property
(IP) and competitive advantages, mitigating operational risks and
reducing financial investments”, said Jürgen Maidl, Senior Vice
President Production Network and Supply Chain Management at the BMW Group.
Scale innovation through common data models and open
technology standards.
The OMP operates under the umbrella of the Joint Development
Foundation (JDF). The JDF is part of the Linux Foundation and provides
the OMP with infrastructure and an organizational framework to create
technical specifications and support open industry standards. The OMP
supports other alliances, including the OPC Foundation and Plattform
Industrie 4.0, and leverages existing industry standards, open source
reference architectures and common data models.
“Through the open collaboration approach that is the cornerstone of
OMP, manufacturing companies will be able to bring offerings to market
faster, with increased scale and greater efficiency,” said Scott
Guthrie, Executive Vice President Cloud AI at Microsoft.
“Solutions will be published and shared across the community,
regardless of technology, solution provider or cloud platform.”
The heart of OMP: working groups to address common
manufacturing challenges.
“Comprised of members from across the manufacturing industry, the
collaboration framework and heart of the OMP are its working groups.
We are very excited to join in a moment where our manufacturing
facilities are becoming increasingly connected, and we are looking for
innovative ways to make us of the treasure trove of data that is being
generated,” said Tassilo Festetics, Global Vice President of Solutions
at AB InBev. The OMP initial first working groups will focus on topics
such as IoT Connectivity, Semantic Data Model, IIoT Reference
Architecture, and Core Services for ATS (autonomous transport
systems). Initial focus areas include:
IOT Connectivity: The OMP steering committee will
support industry efforts to connect IoT devices and machines to the
cloud. It is one of the first steps to digitize production lines and
leverage cloud-connected Industrial IoT applications. “Today, it is
all about analytics and predictions but without data no analytics and
without connectivity no data. Modern devices can easily be connected
via the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA). Connecting machines and
applications to the cloud that have been in production for decades
comes with bigger interoperability challenges as various standards and
interfaces must be addressed to interconnect these historically
developed legacy systems (“brownfield approach”). The working group
IoT Connectivity will focus on providing industrial-grade edge and
cloud functionalities for the integration and management of OPC UA
devices in brownfield environments,” said Werner Balandat, Head of
Production Management, ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
Semantic Data Model: Another OMP working group
focuses on semantic data modelling: Machine and manufacturing data are
crucial for industrial companies to optimize production with
artificial intelligence (AI). However, managing data in a common
format across multiple sources with constantly evolving semantics is a
real challenge. “Data is the raw material for Industry 4.0 and a
prerequisite for optimizing production with the help of artificial
intelligence. At OMP, we are developing a semantic model that makes
data understandable and illustrates its relations and dependencies.
Users no longer receive cryptic, incomprehensible numbers and
characters, but production-relevant information including their
context. This semantic data structure ensures improvements along the
entire value chain and makes AI-based business models possible on a
large scale,” said Dr.-Ing. Michael Bolle, Member of the Board of
Management, Robert Bosch GmbH.
OMP will continue to expand as new organizations come on board. The
steering committee encourages manufacturers and suppliers of all types
to join the community.
About Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP).
OMP is an alliance to help manufacturing companies accelerate
innovation at scale through cross-industry collaboration, knowledge
and data sharing as well as access to new technologies. The OMP has
been founded under the umbrella of the Joint Development Foundation.
The OMP helps businesses unlock the potential of their data and
integrate industrial solutions faster and more securely while owning
their intellectual property, mitigating operational risks and reducing
financial investments by leveraging industry standards, open source
reference architectures, common data models, and more.
About the BMW Group.
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly
facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries. In 2019, the BMW Group sold over 2,520,000
passenger vehicles and more than 175,000 motorcycles worldwide. The
profit before tax in the financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on
revenues amounting to € 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the
BMW Group had a workforce of 134,682 employees. The success of the BMW
Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible
action. The company has therefore established ecological and social
sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product
responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an
integral part of its strategy, www.bmwgroup.com.
About Bosch.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and
services. It employs roughly 403,000 associates worldwide (as of
December 31, 2019). According to preliminary figures, the company
generated sales of 77.9 billion euros in 2019. Its operations are
divided into four business sectors:
Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy
and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers
innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected
mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor
technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to
offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single
source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver
innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life
worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark
enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for
life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440
subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and
service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales
network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the
company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 125 locations
across the globe, Bosch employs some 72,000 associates in research and
development. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert
Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical
Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH
guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it
possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake
significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future.
Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held
by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority
of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an
industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried
out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family
and by Robert Bosch GmbH. Additional information is available online
at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.comwww.bosch-press.com www.twitter.com/BoschPresse.
About Microsoft.
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation
for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its
mission is to empower every person and every organization on the
planet to achieve more.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
ZF is a global technology company and supplies systems for passenger
cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next
generation of mobility. With its comprehensive technology portfolio,
the company offers integrated solutions for established vehicle
manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields
of transportation and mobility. ZF continually enhances its systems in
the areas of digital connectivity and automation in order to allow
vehicles to see, think and act. In 2018, ZF achieved sales of €36.9
billion. The company has a global workforce of 149,000 with
approximately 230 locations in 40 countries. ZF invests over six
percent of its sales in research and development annually. For further
press information and photos please visit: www.zf.com.