As an architect at Microsoft, I am deeply passionate about the transformative power of technology in driving industrial innovation. Standards like OPC UA serve as the backbone of this transformation, enabling interoperability, rich data modelling capabilities and security. In the era of Industry 4.0, the importance of such standards cannot be overstated. They pave the way for cloud-based analytics, machine learning, and global monitoring of all industrial assets to optimize operations and drive efficiencies.
I want to share stories from three companies, Miele, Equinor, and Bühler - who have harnessed the power of open standard OPC UA and Microsoft Azure to spearhead their digital transformation journeys. Their stories underscore the role of standards in shaping the future of entire industries, and how Microsoft, through its robust cloud platform Azure, is committed to supporting these endeavors. Let’s explore their journeys.
Miele, a leading manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances and commercial equipment, has collaborated with Microsoft to completely transform their washing machine production line to OPC UA. This has helped them with material flow simulation as well as collecting factory data at scale and sending it to the Microsoft Azure cloud for analysis and production optimization.
Equinor, a broad energy company shaping the future of energy, has created OMNIA, a cloud-based data platform on Microsoft Azure to support their digital roadmap. OMNIA is designed to use data to improve safety, reduce development and operating costs, increase recovery and discovery, and reduce greenhouse emissions. The platform supports the contextualization of data available from Equinor’s industrial automation and control systems through the use of OPC UA in their OT/IT architecture.
Bühler, the world’s leading producer of machinery for the production of flour, rice, pasta, chocolate, coffee, and beer, is committed to sustainability through digitalization. Their goal is to reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value-chains of its customers by 2025. OPC UA plays a key role throughout Bühler’s automation as a communications enabler, allowing them to leverage the power of Microsoft Azure to achieve their sustainability goals.
Miele, Equinor and Bühler are examples of companies that are using Microsoft Azure to drive their digital transformation and achieve their objectives. Through the use of cloud-based data platforms and technologies such as OPC UA, these companies are able to harness the power of data to improve their operations and make a positive impact on the environment.
Read the full success stories on the OPC Foundation website:
Buehler: https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/OPC_SuccessStory_buehler_lay02.pdf
Miele: https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/OPC_SuccessStory-Miele-finalweb.pdf
Equinor: https://opcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/OPCF-SuccessStory-equinor-finalweb.pdf
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