Formed in 1996, the foundation has dedicated itself to providing interoperability between the machinery on shop floors or in equipment rooms and the software that sits in the back office. Before the foundation, it was a major challenge to interface the multitude of proprietary shop-floor controls, let alone connect these components to business systems.

Today, the foundation leads a charge for plug-and-play connectivity through its own OPC acronym, which stands for object linking and embedding (OLE) for process control (OPC).

OPC allows manufacturers and end users to choose "best-of-breed" business software applications with the confidence that information from process and control equipment will be easily integrated.

But wait. Isn't the interoperability of equipment supposed to be accomplished through international standard protocols such as BACnet�, LonMark�, EIB, Profibus�, Modbus� and others? Yes, and there is the obvious need for information from these systems to aggregate at a higher level in the organization. Think of OPC as a simultaneous translation service for all of the different languages that various systems speak, not to mention the hundreds of dialects that have spawned from them.

Thanks to the foundation, seamless integration is no longer a pipe dream. OPC permits true plug-and-play compatibility among hardware and software products across the full spectrum of automation vendors, devices and systems.

For example, Gesytec, a German company based in Aachen, provides its Easylon Server�, which allows OPC clients to gather information from any LonTalk™ automation and control network. It can be used by most Microsoft Windows� applications without any customization. This includes the popular Excel� spreadsheet and Access� database programs from Microsoft. Because the interface for these programs build on TCP/IP, the source data can reside anywhere on the owner's intranet or -- with adequate security precautions -- on the Internet.

The new M-Web™ web server from Johnson Controls now uses OPC to gather information from a Metasys� building automation system.

According to Gary Kohrt, director of Systems Engineering at Johnson Controls, the decision to use OPC was easy. "OPC gives us the built-in compatibility with other systems and third-party software that our customers want. It is the industry standard for bringing real-time alarm and historical data into the Microsoft environment," he emphasizes. "Our M-Web server and our new graphics applications must be capable of integrating with standard control networks as well providing data to business solutions on the enterprise side."

Since the origin of the OPC Foundation, it has taken less than three years for OPC to become the process control industry's definitive connectivity standard. Though developed for the process control industry, OPC will provide substantial benefits for facility management. These include:

Less wasted motion

Device manufacturers and users can spend less time dealing with connectivity issues and more time adding value to building operations.

Better software

Software suppliers will be freed from the unproductive task of developing proprietary device drivers and can focus instead on adding new features to their products.

Freedom of choice

Building owners will no longer be handcuffed to specific vendors because of connectivity concerns. They can more easily design systems to fit their needs and assemble them from best-of-breed components, using standard networks or the Internet.

Business integration

Through OPC, operations data can easily flow upstream to business systems. Management will be able to use the information to make strategic decisions that improve business efficiency, elevating the role of the facility manager and his or her contribution to the business.

Is OPC right for everyone? Perhaps, but like any technical solution, OPC is one of several tools designed to accomplish a task within a defined environment. Manufacturers, developers, specifiers and end users should carefully investigate all alternatives within the context of their application.

Check out the OPC Foundation's home page at http://www.opcfoundation.org/ for more information on the standard and profiles on more than 200 companies that are currently developing products using the standard.