Rockwell Automation Advances Digital Edge Architecture with ASEM Acquisition

Summary

Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO, and his team have been transforming Rockwell Automation; recently, they’ve acquired ASEM. Combining software from Rockwell Automation’s partner that provides an open industrial digitalization software platform with ASEM’s industrial edge hardware offerings creates open information & control platforms--sensor to enterprise--for customers to achieve the benefits of Industry 4.0 and digitalization.

In his presentation at the Barclays Industrial Select Conference on Feb. 19, 2020, Blake Moret commented on the acquisition of ASEM: 

“…as part of our technology portfolio are very excited to welcome ASEM to the Rockwell Automation family. We want to use all our strengths. The technology is moving rapidly, and we fundamentally believe that in addition to great talent and great innovation within Rockwell, there is an opportunity to move faster by partnering--and in some cases, acquiring technology and services outside. Industrial PC technology from ASEM is going to be extremely valuable as we look going forward, and the value from our smart products Logix, drives, and so on, will be on different form factors over time. The values are going to stay the same, and we must to make sure in terms of evolving the software as well as the hardware platforms we are at the front of the pack.”
 

ASEM Acquisition

ASEM, founded in 1979, describes itself as actively participating in the evolution of digital information technologies, including the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with Machine and Factory Automation Technologies, and supporting the convergence of IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technologies) systems as fundamental to gain the value of the fourth industrial revolution: "Industry 4.0."  The company’s production facilities and headquarters are in Artegna (Italy).

The ASEM Acquisition continues the pattern Moret discussed at the Rockwell Automation annual investor meeting in 2019. Moret said, “Seamlessly connecting all levels of a business and turning raw data into powerful insights happens when devices are integrated and data is standardized. No one vendor can do this alone. Instead, companies need an ecosystem of proven partners with the right mix of expertise and technologies to expand what’s humanly possible.”
 

Distributed control & automation architecture

Deploying PTC software combined with ASEM hardware and software provides a modern distributed control & automation architecture for digitalization and Industry 4.0 projects. ASEM offers a range of HMIs, controls (PAC - Programmable Automation Controller), remote assistance, and Industrial IoT gateway solutions. The ASEM HMI and edge computers are offered with CODESYS SoftPLC, delivering IEC 61131-3 open automation systems. ASEM offerings also include Ubiquity, an IEC 62443 certified compliant offering providing secure communications over the Internet. These are open architecture intelligent edge device building blocks to achieve the benefits and efficiencies of Industry 4.0 digitalization being pursued by industrial companies throughout the world.
 

ASEM Edge offerings

These are some interesting ASME edge offerings:

• NETcore® X - Fieldbus & Protocols: The NETcore® X communication cards are the link between the PC and the I/O devices on the machine and allow control and visualization applications to obtain the information from the field according to many protocols available.
• IIoT Cloud Connector: The IIoT Cloud Connector is a software solution designed to store field data on a cloud database. In combination with the Premium HMI software , IIoT Cloud Connector allows users to create an interface with any field system, acquiring relevant data for monitoring automated machines operation and the related processes. IIoT Cloud Connector Runtime is available for HMI and IPC systems and as an IIoT Gateway standalone solution. IIoT Cloud Connector Runtime receives data from Premium HMI and stores it on the cloud database, by means of the services supplied by the chosen cloud platform.  IIoT Cloud Connector Runtime is compatible with cloud services provided by many suppliers, including the implementations based on brokers active in the local networks. IIoT Cloud Connector Runtime implements the 'store and forward' functionality in a safe and efficient way, to manage the internet connectivity shortages even for very long times, in order to lose none of the data collected. IIoT Cloud Connector Runtime implements grouping algorithms for the data to be transferred, in order to reduce bandwidth usage and better exploit the characteristics of the communication protocols used by the cloud services.

• IIoT Ethernet & Cellular Gateway family: The ASEM IIoT Gateways are designed to implement Industry 4.0 based solutions on any existing installation by simply adding the device to the existing automation systems and supporting many communication protocols to connect to the most common industrial controller and fetch the relevant data for process and machine operation analysis. The GT10 and GT11 incorporate a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor enclosed in a stainless steel case for DIN rail or wall mounting, with 9-36 VDC power supply range. GT systems have one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet WAN port for Internet connection, one 100 Mbps Ethernet LAN for automation devices connection, an isolated serial interface RS 232/422/485 and one USB 2.0 port. GT11 integrates a built-it 2G/3G/3G+ or 2G/3G/4G (LTE) pentaband modem compatible with cellular networks worldwide.

  
  Thoughts & observations

  Under Blake Moret’s leadership, Rockwell Automation is evolving in many ways, reinventing itself, and pivoting toward new open architectures, system integration business, material handling components, and lifecycle services.  It will be quite a cultural change.