ABB and its B&R machine automation division, Capgemini, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and its Aveva division, and Siemens reported Apr. 23 at Hannover Messe that they’re collaborating to deliver interoperability for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) ecosystems. Hosted by the Linux Foundation and open to more participants, this “Margo” initiative is named after the Latin word for “edge,” and plans to define mechanisms for interoperability between applications, devices and orchestration software at the edge of industrial applications.
The organizers say that Margo will make it easy to run and combine applications from any ecosystem member on top of the hardware and runtime system of any other member. They claim that Margo aims to deliver on its interoperability promise through a modern, agile, open-source approach, which will bring industrial companies increased flexibility, simplicity and scalability as they undergo digital transition in complex, multi-vendor environments. ABB adds that it joined the Linux Foundation in March to further promote open-community collaboration, help unlock innovation, and enable better products and users experiences.
“Mastering efficiency, flexibility and quality faster than competitors is key to success in today’s industrial world,” says Bernhard Eschermann, CTO at ABB Process Automation. “Digitalization can help deliver on these benefits, but digital ecosystems require a robust, secure and interoperable framework at the edge, connecting operations and information technologies. For ABB, a longstanding advocate of open automation systems, driving a forward-thinking collaborative initiative like Margo is key to achieving this goal.”
Florian Schneeberger, CTO at B&R, adds, “The more sources you get data from, the better the decisions you can make. Yet, while the benefits of digitalization increase with scale, so do the challenges of navigating heterogeneous industrial ecosystems. That's why interoperability is so crucial to unlocking the full potential of digitalization. It empowers organizations to adopt and scale IIoT at full speed without large teams of IT specialists."
