Next Generation Software for Next Generation Customers
A Partnership for a Perfect End-to-End Solution

In the real world of industrial automation for buildings, machines and embedded systems, standards and protocols for hardware, software, distributed devices and systems vary enormously. For Distributed Control and SCADA/HMI systems, this inhibits engineering innovation and increases investment risk and costs. What control engineers want is an object oriented software engineering tool that can support different hardware platforms and mix proprietary technologies and disciplines within one tool. What manufacturers want is a control engineering solution that protects their investment but which can also grow in the future with their business.

A Complete End-to-end Solution
n xtCont rol is a dy namic company based in t he heart of Europe in Austria. Its control engineering software portfolio includes products for runtime systems such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s) and other embedded systems. Their advanced control and v isualization sof t ware improves t he automation of buildings, machines and processes. As a developer of control engineering software, nxtControl’s products integrate many system components into one complete solution following the IEC 61499 standard for an open, distributed architecture and engineering solution. With vertical markets expanding and manufacturers facing extraordinary challenges, nxtControl was looking for a large multi-faceted industrial automation manufacturer with global reach and vision that could help them achieve and provide the future generation of control engineering solutions and products.

Take a Global Technology Challenge
Mr Alexander Nussbaumer, Director Sales & Marketing at nxtControl explained, “With the accelerating pace of change in the global economy and the competitive nature of manufacturing, it’s impor tant to be sure the investment decisions a business makes today can support it equally well in the future. By working with Advantech, we can tap into the experience of a leading global player that is well established in the industrial automation and control business. This means we are able to achieve the flexibility and responsiveness required in today’s globalized manufacturing environment and offer our customers a complete end-to-end solution. We see an opportunity in the European automation market, where a lot of proprietary solutions are not really open. The market is changing quickly in its thinking and innovation, and we see a substantial opportunity to go into it together with Advantech to provide a more efficient way of developing more favorable control engineering solutions as well as helping customers reduce risk and costs,” said Mr. Nussbaumer.

Bringing a Vision to Life
Mr. Nussbaumer further elaborated, “nxtControl is the first company worldwide to commercially developsoftware technology based on the new IEC 61499 standard, which will be the successor to the IEC 61131 standard for Programmable Logic Controllers. A nd, we have already integrated support for HMI and SCADA so that nxtControl’s software product portfolio offers what everyone is looking for now — a single software tool that allows you to engineer both the PLC and HMI/SCADA worlds. Advantech, as a global automation and embedded technology leader, has a clear vision, a clear strategy and they know where they are going—for us this is important. Advantech saw in our software portfolio a commitment to, and the fulfillment of a vision for integrating all the intelligent and smart devices that make up the Internet of Things. The combination of Advantech hardware and our software portfolio is perfect for the market today.”

Advantech provides hardware solutions and services across multiple vertical markets worldwide. nxtControl provides control software engineering solutions. Together, they solve real world problems and inspire the next stage of automation engineering.