Connecting print to smart factories requires you to talk their language

Global Graphics Software has joined the OPC Foundation, the organization responsible for the development and maintenance of the OPC (Open Platform Communications) Industrial Interoperability Standard. Global Graphics Software is the developer of award-winning components used in digital printing systems which are increasingly part of connected processes in smart factories where printing is part of the manufacturing process.

OPC UA is the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data in the industrial automation space and in other industries. It is platform independent and ensures the seamless flow of information among devices from multiple vendors.

Eric Worrall, VP of products and customer success at Global Graphics Software comments: “OPC UA will allow us a standard way to communicate with devices within the production line such as PLCs. It will also allow us to communicate up to SCADA and HMIs controlling full production process, not just the printing subsystem. Collecting the data and providing historical analysis will enable innovations like predictive maintenance. We will work with component suppliers to add OPC UA interfaces to electronic components in the print system to allow plug and play integration. We also have versions of our RIP technologies that can be run on Arm platforms and aimed at the Internet of Things. Adding OPC UA connectivity to these IoT solutions will allow standard connectivity and the strong security required for IoT.

Justin Bailey, Global Graphics Software’s managing director adds: “The OPC Foundation is an 800+ strong international community, and we look forward to becoming an active member. The function of print is changing and the OPC UA standard is already in use in industrial environments that want to add print into their processes. Our OEM customers targeting their solutions at the industrial sector will welcome the connectivity potential that our solutions will provide.”

Stefan Hoppe, president and executive director of the OPC Foundation, comments: “The OPC Foundation warmly welcomes Global Graphics Software as a new member of the largest ecosystem for secured industrial interoperability. OPC UA not only enables seamless secure data transport from the field to the cloud (and back) – an essential aspect is the standardization of the information to be transported e.g. also for the printing industry – we are therefore looking forward to the cooperation of the experts from Global Graphics Software.”

Ends

Notes to editors.

SCADA: Supervisory control and data acquisition is a control system architecture comprising computers, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces.

HMI: A Human-Machine Interface is a user interface or dashboard that connects a person to a machine.

 

About Global Graphics Software

Global Graphics Software www.globalgraphics.com develops innovative core technology for digital print, including the Direct™ product range, the Harlequin RIP®, ScreenPro™, and Mako™. Customers include HP, Canon, Durst, Roland,  Kodak and Agfa. The roots of the company go back to 1986 and to the iconic university town of Cambridge, and today the majority of the R&D team is still based near here. Global Graphics Software has been recognised for its excellence in innovation with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Global Graphics Software is a subsidiary of Global Graphics PLC (Euronext: GLOG). Sister companies include the industrial printhead driver solutions specialists, Meteor Inkjet; pre-press workflow developers Xitron and enterprise software developer HYBRID Software.

About the OPC Foundation
Since 1996, the OPC Foundation has facilitated the development and adoption of the OPC information exchange standards. As both advocate and custodian of these specifications, the Foundation’s mission is to help industry vendors, end-users, and software developers maintain interoperability in their manufacturing and automation assets. The OPC Foundation provides the best specifications, technology, process, and certification to achieve multivendor, multiplatform, secure, reliable, interoperability for moving data and information from the embedded world to the enterprise cloud. The Foundation serves over 800 members worldwide in the Industrial Automation, IT, IoT, IIoT, M2M, Industrie 4.0, Building Automation, machine tools, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and Smart Energy sectors.
For more information, please visit www.opcfoundation.org

Contacts

Jill Taylor, Global Graphics
Tel: + 44 (0) 1223 926489 | Mobile: +44 (0)7714 410598 |
Jill.taylor@globalgraphics.com

Paula Halpin, Global Graphics
Tel: +44 (0)1223 926017 | paula.halpin@globalgraphics.com