Management Systems

The integration of the different management, monitoring, or analysis systems is the great challenge that is intended to be addressed with digitization. There is no doubt about it.

The problem is not in the exchange of information itself, that has been achieved for some time, the problem is that now it is wanted to be done automatically – to end the manual insertion of data – and in ‘real time’. In this case, we are not referring to refresh times of milliseconds or seconds, but it is no longer valid to dump the information once or twice a day from one side to the other. The exchange of information must be fluid and constant.

The value of achieving this integration is direct. The systems can now react much faster to a specific data or information, this implies changing production orders, constant productivity calculations, optimal route calculations, predictive maintenance, optimization of resources and consumption, … That is, it really has a return in efficiency, cost reduction and productivity.

How to Achieve it?

Unfortunately, this type of project is usually not simple, the technologies are complex and, even worse, almost all of these systems were not designed at the time to enable this fluid exchange of information. It is here, where from Logitek we present OPC Router to make the realization of these projects possible.

OPC Router is a tool specifically designed to enable the exchange of information between different systems, both process, management, databases, cloud platforms, etc. in a simple and scalable way. We explain a few examples of use where you will see how it easily enables the exchange or ingestion of information from different management systems.

I Integration with Traditional or Sectorial MES Systems

Example architecture: OPC plugin + SQL/MQTT plugin

Today there are a few manufacturers that are able to provide in a single suite all the pieces related to a complete production control system, the visualization part, the SCADA part, historization, etc. One of those components can be the MES system. However, there is also a large set of independent MES systems.

These systems must be able to exchange information fluently with the other components of industrial control and planning. Currently many of these manufacturers already have standardized OPC Router as the platform that enables this exchange of information, capable of communicating process data with the MES system either through databases or, the most modern systems, through MQTT. The use of OPC Router allows you to open your tools to all other components, greatly reducing the total cost and difficulty of the project.

I Integration with SAP

Example architecture: OPC/SQL plugin + SAP plugin

SAP is the most used ERP in large companies. That necessarily implies finding how to exchange information with it in a simple and reliable way. The examples where it may be necessary are many, integrate it with the MES system, integrate it with the maintenance, traceability, warehouse management systems, … To help with this task, OPC Router incorporates connectivity with SAP with three native drivers of its own, the RFC, BAPI and IDOC communication.

I Integration with other ERPs

Example architecture: OPC/SQL plugin + SQL/Oracle/ERP-Webservices plugin

Evidently, SAP is not the only ERP on the market. To communicate with the others – including Microsoft Dynamics – there are mostly two ways, either through databases or through Webservices. In this way, we can achieve the exchange of information from the ERP in question with the other production, control, historization, maintenance systems, … using the corresponding OPC Router plugins.

I Integration with GIS Systems

Example architecture: REST/ERP-Webservices plugin + SQL plugin

Little by little, the use of GIS systems is increasing. They are no longer only used for Smart Cities projects or fleet visualization, but are also used for the control of infrastructures or positioning of strategic ‘assets’. Most geopositioning solutions show where each of the ‘assets’ is on a platform of the manufacturer itself – regardless of whether it is installed in the cloud or on-premise -. The most common is that access to the data of these platforms has to be via REST API or Webservices. Therefore, if we want to integrate that data with our own tools, OPC Router will be very useful. We can obtain the information by consulting directly to the source to transmit it wherever we want to send it. An SQL repository, for example.

I Integration with Document Management Systems

Example architecture: SQL/SAP plugin + MongoDB plugin

Although it is a relatively new database, its ability to work with few resources, with distributed architectures or that it is opensource makes MongoDB widely used by the Public Administration, which is in turn, the largest client/user of document management tools. Integration with document management tools is critical for any project that needs to store in a standardized and regulated way information related to public services – water, electricity, gas consumption, garbage services, … -. The use of OPC Router greatly simplifies this integration thanks to the use of its native driver for MongoDB databases.

I Integration with KAFKA

Example architecture: KAFKA plugin + SQL/OPC plugin

The business use of Apache Kafka is growing at great speed. The advantages it presents when guaranteeing the data flows of large applications in real time and in a distributed manner, makes Kafka the favorite option in large transaction registration, web analytics or apps applications. While it is true that it is not a communication system that applies to process control, in the coming years we will find more projects where we must integrate traditional management systems with the new ones through KAFKA. OPC Router is ahead of these times adding this new type of connectivity to integrate KAKFA to its portfolio of available communications.

There are many management systems… because there are many processes – not only the productive one – to control so that any installation, factory, infrastructure or Smart City works correctly. In this post we have only presented a few, if you are interested or know other cases and want to know how we would approach them, get in contact with us!

You can consult all the posts in this series:

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-ii/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-iv/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-v/