Workshop attendees line up behind ISA-95 standard and WBF XML schemas for plant floor-to-business interoperability
LONGWOOD, FL (September 13, 2004) – A group of leading manufacturing companies and software vendors have endorsed the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society’s (ISA) ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration standards and World Batch Forum’s (WBF) Business To Manufacturing Markup Language (B2MML) for the standard’s implementation.The companies made their endorsement at a plant-to-business interoperability workshop hosted by SAP, among the world’s leaders in enterprise management software, and ARC Advisory Group, a leading manufacturing industry consultant based in Dedham, MA.Workshop attendees also discussed the establishment of an open vendor and user consortium to share knowledge and best practices for plant floor to business integration and to provide compliance certification for use of the B2MML and related standards.
In addition to SAP and ARC, participants included representatives from Apriso, Arla Foods, Datasweep, Dow Corning Corporation, DuPont Engineering, Eli Lilly, Emerson Process Management, Empresas Polar S.A., GE Fanuc, General Mills, Invensys-Wonderware, LightHammer, MPDV, MPR de Venezuela, OSIsoft, Procter & Gamble, PSI Soft, Rockwell Automation, Rohm and Haas, SAB Miller, Siemens, and Yokogawa, as well as representatives from ISA and WBF.The B2MML schemas, which were developed by WBF, are an XML implementation of the ISA-95 standard.
The standard establishes a common definition and format for information exchange between shop floor systems and business systems.Responding to an ARC survey, workshop attendees said they expect the use of the ISA-95 standard to delver significant supply chain benefits to users. ARC expressed similar sentiments in a recent electronic newsletter. “ARC believes that the time has come to make some real progress in the area of plant to business interoperability,” the consulting firm wrote. “Advances in technology as well as standards have brought us to the point where we believe a catalyst can effect some major changes, and we believe this initiative, kick-started by SAP, can be that catalyst.
There is a huge amount of interest in this among our clients, and an overwhelming response from the manufacturing community.”Dave Emerson, chairman of WBF’s XML Working Group, and Keith Unger, chairman of the ISA’s SP-95 Committee, note that key end-user companies that have adopted ISA-95 and B2MML are reporting reductions in integration time and costs and greater agility in integrating plant floor systems with business systems.SAP along with the partners and customers is currently planning the next round of technical discussions regarding endorsement of ISA-95 and B2MML standards and this will likely take place before the end of the year says Dennis Brandl, editor of the ISA-95 standard and a leader of the WBF’s B2MML development effort.
About World Batch Forum
World Batch Forum, established in 1994, is a non-profit, professional organization promoting the exchange of information on the management, operation and automation of batch process manufacturing. Members include end-users, vendors, consultants and academics. In addition to hosting an annual conference with formal presentation and technical papers, World Batch Forum provides organization, management, and structure to facilitate networking among its members and sharing of knowledge and information related to all aspects of batch processing. World Batch Forum supplements the functions of ISA, AIChE, ISPE, CMA, and other related professional organizations by integrating a variety of management and technical disciplines needed to advance batch processing knowledge and technology.
About ISA
ISA — The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society (ISA), is a 31,000-member global, nonprofit, educational organization connecting people and ideas in automation. The society fosters advancement in the theory, design, manufacture, and use of sensors, instruments, computers, and systems for automation in a wide variety of applications. In addition to hosting the largest conferences and exhibitions for automation in the Western Hemisphere, ISA is a leading technical training organization and a respected publisher of books, magazines, and industry standards.