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Sometimes it makes sense for industrial suppliers to use an existing technology in their product or solution offerings, even if it comes from a competitor. For example, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) recently announced that Emerson Process Management selected its Matrikon OPC Unified Architecture (UA) Software Development Kit (SDK) to embed OPC UA in their CSI 6500 ATG Machinery Health™ Protection System. The announcement then goes on to discuss the toolkit's advantages to users developing OPC UA solutions and relevance in the ever expanding environment of interconnected things.
What struck me is two industrial 'rivals' conducting mutually beneficial business to achieve their goals. A lot of this happens behind the scenes, especially around patents. Most majors seek out non-rival companies to source technology solutions to fill portfolio gaps, instead. This happened when Honeywell first purchased Matrikon and Matrikon's competitors experienced a boost in business as Honeywell competitors looked for alternative solutions. This announcement isn't about solution offerings per se, it is a bit more blatant, and it is clearly a solution that Emerson believes warrants the change in approach. Granted, the technology used to develop your OPC servers does not necessarily affect the end product, and Honeywell announcement highlights many of the benefits provided by the Matrikon toolkit on which Emerson hopes to capitalize.
I believe this will happen more frequently with the growth of IIoT-related solutions. No one company has all the answers, talent, nor technology to address the wide variety of industrial challenges at play. Solution providers will increasingly need to rely on partner companies to achieve value in the interconnected world. This will likely mean that competitors will be collaborating more often moving forward. This will change as companies mature in their IIoT strategies and acquisitions follow.
What struck me is two industrial 'rivals' conducting mutually beneficial business to achieve their goals. A lot of this happens behind the scenes, especially around patents. Most majors seek out non-rival companies to source technology solutions to fill portfolio gaps, instead. This happened when Honeywell first purchased Matrikon and Matrikon's competitors experienced a boost in business as Honeywell competitors looked for alternative solutions. This announcement isn't about solution offerings per se, it is a bit more blatant, and it is clearly a solution that Emerson believes warrants the change in approach. Granted, the technology used to develop your OPC servers does not necessarily affect the end product, and Honeywell announcement highlights many of the benefits provided by the Matrikon toolkit on which Emerson hopes to capitalize.
I believe this will happen more frequently with the growth of IIoT-related solutions. No one company has all the answers, talent, nor technology to address the wide variety of industrial challenges at play. Solution providers will increasingly need to rely on partner companies to achieve value in the interconnected world. This will likely mean that competitors will be collaborating more often moving forward. This will change as companies mature in their IIoT strategies and acquisitions follow.