Solarsoft Introduces New OPC Connector for Manufacturing Execution Systems

New OPC connector facilitates data collection, without hardware, from manufacturing machines.

Solarsoft's OPC connector facilitates data collection from certain manufacturing machines, without hardware, by tapping into the data already collected by any plant floor OPC-compliant PLC.

Cincinnati, OH - 19 January 2011 - Solarsoft Business Systems, a leading provider of modern enterprise software and manufacturing execution and intelligence technology to manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers worldwide, announced today major new technology for their Mattec manufacturing execution and process monitoring system. Solarsoft, an OPC Foundation member, has added an industry-standard OPC connector to their technology portfolio. The new OPC connector facilitates data collection from certain manufacturing machines, without hardware, by tapping into the data already collected by any plant floor OPC-compliant PLC.

OPC is the worldwide standard used to transmit raw data reliably and securely between the manufacturing shop floor and computer systems.

Solarsoft's Mattec system can now collect all relevant manufacturing data via shop floor PLCs with the newly developed OPC connector. Mattec has traditionally collected data from main manufacturing machines. The OPC connector now facilitates data collection from ancillary-type machines, like assembly machines, which will allow manufacturers to get a complete Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) snap shot of their plant.

The Solarsoft OPC connector can communicate with a wide range of PLCs and eliminates the need for physical Machine Interface Units, wiring and hardware on the plant floor.

"This is a very important step in our vision to collect data from every piece of equipment on the plant floor," comments Andy Amalfitano, Vice President of the Manufacturing Execution & Intelligence Division at Solarsoft. "Many manufacturers either don't collect data from their assembly machines or they have separate islands of information between the main operation and the secondary operation. This disconnect makes it extremely difficult to gain visibility of the true OEE for the entire plant. In order to run a plant effectively, manufacturers need to see what is happening on every single machine in real time. We now offer our customers the best of both worlds: They can collect data with wired Machine Interface Units, or with the new OPC connector, or even use both of these technologies together. We designed the OPC connector as part of our standard Mattec system. So all machines connected via the OPC connector are monitored and scheduled by Mattec just like any other machine. When connected to the OPC connector, if the PLC knows about something, Mattec knows about it too. This allows us to automate the collection of scrap counts and downtime reasons."

About Solarsoft Business Systems
Solarsoft provides modern enterprise software and IT services to manufacturers, distributors and wholesale businesses in North America, Europe and Asia. The company has grown organically and through acquisition since 1986 and has worldwide revenues of US$100 million. Solarsoft employs more than 400 professionals providing local support across 16 time zones. More than 2,000 companies rely on Solarsoft to bring clarity and efficiency to their daily operations.