Inductive Automation has announced the creation of its Ignition Onboard program. The program involves device manufacturers embedding Ignition and Ignition Edge software in the devices they manufacture. The program includes Ignition Onboard and Ignition Edge Onboard.
Ignition by Inductive Automation is an industrial application platform with tools for building solutions in human-machine interface (HMI), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Ignition Edge is a line of lightweight, limited, low-cost Ignition software products which empower solutions designed for edge-of-network use. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have shown strong interest in pre-installing Ignition and/or Ignition Edge on their devices. It’s part of an expanding ecosystem of technologies, devices, people, and companies that are advancing the IIoT. Opto 22, Advantech B+B SmartWorx, Hilscher, Moxa, and EZAutomation are putting Ignition Edge on products. KEBA, Brown Engineers, Azul Systems, Nexoforge, and Tyrion Integration are embedding the full version of Ignition. “Device manufacturers have joined Ignition Onboard in response to their customers’ demands for an all-in-one solution that contains hardware and software at a reasonable price,” said Don Pearson, chief strategy officer for Inductive Automation.
“These are companies that understand the importance of building a strong IIoT, and we’re very happy to be collaborating with them.” Kevin McClusky, co-director of sales engineering for Inductive Automation, said Ignition Onboard is arriving at the perfect time. “This plugs right into the Ignition ecosystem,” he said. “That includes all the devices sending information to Ignition, everything going through the IIoT, over MQTT for a lot of newer technologies, and the ability to visualize everything in one centralized location.” McClusky predicts more companies will be joining the program soon.
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“Around a dozen additional companies have shown real interest,” he said. “We’re actively working with many of those right now.” In addition to companies embedding Ignition and Ignition Edge in their devices as part of the Ignition Onboard program, there is an expanding universe of products that integrate with Ignition. Seeq® Corporation, for example, has a connector for its software to Ignition. This enables Ignition users to use Seeq Workbench to rapidly find insights in their data, leading to better production outcomes including improved asset availability, product quality, and process efficiency.
Bedrock Automation is another example. The company has developed a next-generation industrial control system with a revolutionary electro-magnetic backplane architecture and deeply embedded cyber security.
Bedrock recently announced an easy-to-deploy interface specification that enables Ignition users to leverage the security capabilities of OPC UA communications software. Inductive Automation supports that effort, and has already implemented several installations around Bedrock controllers. “Security is such a critical component of open standards-based architectures for industrial organizations,” said Pearson.
“The work that Bedrock has done plays a significant role in facilitating adoption of IIoT solutions, as it strongly addresses security concerns for industrial systems.”.