What is UAO?

UniversalAutomation.org is an independent, non-for-profit association managing the implementation of an industrial automation shared source runtime execution engine, based on the IEC 61499 standard. This new level of shared technology provides the basis for an ecosystem of portable, interoperable, “plug and produce” solutions and creates an entirely new category within industrial automation. UniversalAutomation.org is open to new members looking to advance the world of automation.

Industry Leaders Found UniversalAutomation.org to Launch New Automation Era

Industrial leaders and pioneers have joined together to form UniversalAutomation.org (UAO) and advance the world of industrial automation.

For the first time, vendors, users and academics will share a common automation software layer across their automation technology regardless of brand. This technological collaboration is driving the development of an ecosystem of portable, interoperable, “plug and produce” solutions, creating an entirely new category of industrial automation.

Membership

Portability is already a reality in other market sectors

Portability is already a reality in other market sectors. For example, mobile applications are developed to run across different smartphone vendors, enabling rapid advances through collective innovation. Until now, the industrial world has worked differently, with closed proprietary architectures and hardware-dependent software.

UniversalAutomation.org will create a new era of openness and collaboration, decoupling software and hardware by sharing a reference runtime execution engine implementation of the IEC 61499 standard.

Members are working together

Members are working together to develop and adopt the next generation of universal automation solutions by collectively incrementing a runtime execution engine following shared source principles. Improvements to the runtime are managed by UniversalAutomation.org and its members. Development of prioritized features will be financed by UniversalAutomation.org or contributed by members. Members will have access to the runtime and the ability to shape the next generation of automation.

This shared runtime execution engine approach not only accelerates the adoption of the technology; it also maximizes portability by standardizing on a common runtime platform. It is the technology enabler of the future world of plug and produce industrial automation apps.

UniversalAutomation.org is actively recruiting new members. All entities looking to help advance industrial automation are encouraged to join.

Industry advancement with interoperable automation software

Adopting a common runtime execution engine, shared across vendors, will provide limitless opportunities for growth and modernization across industry. The ARC Advisory Group found this move could save the industrial market $30 billion each year, which is currently spent servicing and maintaining the installed base of proprietary systems alone.

UniversalAutomation.org members anticipate the adoption of this reference implementation-based approach to industrial automation to deliver a range of benefits, including:

Portability and reuse of software components on different systems, improving return-on-investment for automation application software
Greater Innovation through the faster integration of IT and OT technologies and systems, development of new business models, easier connectivity, and more flexible/modular production systems to meet rapidly changing market requirements
Hardware-independent software applications, that can be distributed to and interoperate across multi-vendor platforms
Extending the lifespan of existing industrial tools, devices and systems, and easier upgrading of systems reaching their end of life
Simplified training and skills (with teams only needing to learn one common system), making automation industry OT entry more accessible to IT professionals and the new generation of automation professionals
Increased reliability and reduced time to market using proven in use plug and produce software components available on AppStore-like platforms

The creation of UniversalAutomation.org is the dawn of a new era within automation technology

Dmitrii Drozdov Chief Technology Officer at Flexbridge

They joined us

We are excited to be part of UniversalAutomation.org because it promises to be a complete game changer. It opens up a new world of possibilities for organisations like ours. Unlocking valuable data currently buried in proprietary systems, making the connectivity and deployment of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence quick and simple. As part of UniversalAutomation.org we are actively collaborating with and supporting like-minded organisations to create an exciting new open era in operations and automation.

Jac Opmeer

Principal Automation Engineer at Shell

Wood is excited to be part of defining the future of automation and transforming profitability and productivity for the customers in our industrial markets. UniversalAutomation.org technology will enable business innovation, increase digital adoption and agility with its open, interoperable and portable solutions- building business resiliency and empowering our clients to be future-ready.

German Carmona

President of Wood’s Applied Intelligence business

The creation of UniversalAutomation.org is the dawn of a new era within automation technology; over the course of the next five years, it will create a sea change for the future of automation software development. We are delighted to be a part of UniversalAutomation.org, driving the development of a “plug and produce” system which will help the industry keep up with the increasing demands of flexible manufacturing. There is no doubt that as members continue to join the organization and reap the benefits of collaboration and openness, that industry-wide change will follow.

Dmitrii Drozdov

Chief Technology Officer at Flexbridge

UniversalAutomation.org brings together vendors and users of technology, opening up the opportunity for continuous dialogue between members to share their knowledge. We’re excited to work with other members to enhance and develop our research and help combat the challenges currently facing industry. The IEC 61499 standard will help industry have a common platform for different types of software functionalities in automation, allowing organisations to achieve a certain level of reliability and predictability, as well as increasing flexibility of production plants.

Valeriy Vyatkin

Professor of Electrical Engineering at Aalto University

Industrial operations are undergoing a total transformation. As the IT sector has proven, advances in machine learning, augmented reality, real-time analytics, and the IoT hold great promise for step change advancements in performance, agility, and sustainability. However, within industry this promise is being held back by closed and proprietary automation platforms that restrict widespread adoption, hamper innovation, are challenging to integrate with third-party components, and are expensive to upgrade and maintain. Using a shared runtime changes all that.

John Conway

President at UniversalAutomation.org

With the formation of UniversalAutomation.org, we are hitting the reset button on automation technology. Using the IEC 61499 standard for distributed systems, we can create a new, open industrial environment that will lead to a more sustainable, efficient future. UniversalAutomation.org will remove the barriers to innovation in automation by decoupling hardware and software and providing end users with the freedom they have been asking for — to easily integrate different technologies regardless of where they came from and fully optimize their automation systems.

Greg Boucaud

Chief Marketing Officer at UniversalAutomation.org