VDMA tells Hoist why it is creating a Joint Working Group for Cranes & Hoists with OPC UA

Together they want to reduce integrating cranes and hoists with other machines and installations, and higher-level production systems. 

By founding the Joint Working Group OPC UA (Unified Architecture) for Cranes and Hoists, members of VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association and FEM Cranes and Lifting Equipment Product Group says it is taking an important step towards achieving this goal.

The Group has elected Eberhard Becker, Director Global Standardization, Konecranes, as chairman and Henri Gört, Machine Data Platform Lead, Digital Platform Development, Konecranes, as deputy chairman.

Here, Hoist catches up with Paul Zepf technical manager, VDMA, who is also the secretary of FEM - Cranes and Lifting Equipment Product Group, to find out more about the project.

Hoist: What do you hope to achieve by launching the Joint Working Group?

Zepf: Manufacturing and industrial practices are being revolutionised using modern smart technology, machine-to-machine communication (M2M), the internet of things, and importantly by improved communication between machines. This is also known as Industry 4.0. In this context, interoperability is repeatedly highlighted as a key strategic component: In a recent study by VDMA, 90% of more than 600 participating companies identified a need for industry interoperability interfaces.

The OPC UA for Cranes and Hoists Initiative is part of a broader VDMA initiative to develop a world language of production by setting standards for machine interfaces. 

In the first phase of the project, the aim is to develop a OPC UA Companion Specification for Cranes and Hoists, which will enable standardised communication between cranes and external systems, such as Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), enterprise resource planning (ERP) or cloud services as part of future Industry 4.0 machine-to-machine communication. This will facilitate use cases such as supervision and monitoring of cranes, predictive maintenance, and asset management (providing detailed information on the crane such as part number, brand name serial number, etc.). 

Hoist: Why do you need to do this, is the current legalisation not sufficient?

Zepf: The objective of the OPC UA project is to enable participating companies to improve the interoperability of machines and systems and to enable companies to implement new digital business models and improving their products.

In today's world interconnectivity between equipment becomes more and more important as also witnessed in the consumer sector: Users of computers expect a mouse or a USB stick which is plugged into the laptop to work seamlessly without the need for long installation processes and configurations. Similarly, a modern factory has many different types of machines e. g. cranes and hoists, robots, machine tools, plastics and rubber machinery. A common set of interoperable interfaces will enable new machines to be integrated more efficiently into existing and new production landscapes. 

The OPC UA project differentiates itself from legislation in that it focuses on the technical dimension of interoperability open for all crane and hoist manufacturers. Meanwhile, the EU is in the process of updating its regulatory framework on new technologies. New requirements have recently been proposed by the European Commission in relation to AI and machinery. As noted by FEM, these proposals and their impact on innovation are a source of concern for our companies. 

Hoist: What will happen now following the election of a chairman?

Zepf: The working group has started developing the OPC UA Companion Specification for cranes and hoists and hopes to finalise the first part in the next year.

In the first phase, OPC UA Cranes and hoists aims to develop vertical interoperability with the cloud services, ERP or MES. In future phases, the OPC UA for Cranes and Hoists Initiative plans to put more emphasis on horizontal interoperability and machine-2-machine communication.