xCoupler Brings iSeries Control to the Factory Floor

Published: August 22, 2006

by Alex Woodie

Online Development recently announced a new feature in its xCoupler Enterprise Transaction Module that will enable bi-directional communication between iSeries applications and devices found on the factory floor. By enabling the iSeries to communicate directly with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs), users will not only gain greater insight into the current state of production, but they'll boost security because they won't need a separate PC gateway to usher the data.

Since its founding in 1989, Knoxville, Tennessee-based Online Development has been making and selling solutions to help automate the factory floor. Its flagship product, the xCoupler Enterprise Transaction Module, is a hardware/software solution that installs directly (via the backplane or through a DIN rail) to popular PACs and PLCs, which are used to control a variety of devices found on the factory floor, including barcode and radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners and sensors, modems, printers, controllers, robots, and other human-machine interface (HMI) connections.

The xCoupler's job is to enable bi-directional communication between these controllers and enterprise systems, such as ERP, supply chain, CRM, and business intelligence and data warehousing applications, to enable better end-to-end visibility of their supply chain and better decision making. The xCoupler doesn't deliver a pre-configured "dashboard" to monitor and control the factory floor, but it provides the means for users to create secure dashboards of their own.

Earlier this month, Online Development announced a number of new xCoupler features, including new adapters for the DB2/400 and MySQL databases; better connectivity to the Allen-Bradley line of PACs from industrial equipment giant Rockwell Automation; trigger completion feedback reporting; automatic exporting of audit and exception systems logs via FTP or e-mail; transaction logging for messaging and database systems; configurable "listener" commands for WebSphere MQ; and additional adapter timestamp formats. The company plans to showcase these enhancements at Rockwell's Automation Fair in Baltimore, Maryland, October 25 through 26.

Online Development says users benefit from xCoupler by eliminating the need for special PC-based bridging or middleware. "Since the xCoupler is not PC-based, there is little threat of hackers or viruses affecting its performance or that of the devices or systems connected to it," says Roy Harry, a spokesman for Online Development.

While xCoupler doesn't utilize a Windows runtime, it does use Windows to configure and manage the device. The graphical WorkBench utility, which installs on either Windows or Linux, guides users through the process of setting up connectivity between factory floor devices and enterprise business systems, and configuring messaging. Users can choose two-way messaging, which allows commands to be issued to the factory floor from the enterprise business system, or one-way messaging, where data flows uphill from the factory floor to the server.

The WorkBench utility is easy to use, Harry says. "The drag and drop operation of this tool makes all configuration quick and easy and does not require any special programming skills," he says.

About 60 xCouplers have been installed at Fortune 500 companies in the food processing, pharmaceutical, tire manufacturing, parts manufacturing, and metal production industries, Harry says. The devices see a variety of uses, including equipment health monitoring, inventory tracking and ordering, sending orders to the plant floor, and sequencing orders to meet specific customer requirements.

Two versions of the xCoupler device are available, including the A-B ControlLogix module, which installs directly into the backplane of PLCs from Allen-Bradley, and the Universal module, which installs onto the DIN rail adjoining other PLCs and PACs.

Pricing for the xCoupler Enterprise Transaction Module starts at about $10,000. For more information, visit www.oldi.com.