Schneider Electric announced on the 9th that it has deployed 'EAE (EcoStruxure Automation Expert),' an open automation solution, to the automation product line of German global technology company Phoenix Contact.

Schneider Electric EAE is the world's first open automation solution based on the UAO runtime engine. It is designed to decouple automation software from hardware and integrate offerings from multiple automation suppliers. Schneider Electric stated, "It offers unprecedented flexibility in the industrial sector, providing agility and simplicity for industrial automation system integrators and OEMs."

The integration of Schneider Electric's EAE into Phoenix Contact's automation product line, PLCnext Technology, allows users to develop and deploy applications on one or more PLCnext controllers. Furthermore, the UAO runtime engine allows users to freely unlock PLCnext controllers.

Schneider Electric and Phoenix Contact are members of the Universal Automation. Org (UAO), a non-profit organization dedicated to realizing open automation. Sharing the same runtime technology, the UAO Runtime Engine, is expected to provide industrial operators with engineering and maintenance efficiencies through application portability and interoperability. Based on the IEC61499 standard, the UAO Runtime Engine creates and executes completely hardware-independent software applications.

“Our collaboration with Schneider Electric demonstrates the flexible and open nature of PLCnext Technology,” said Andrew Vanderpool, Senior Project Engineer at Phoenix Contact and Co-Chair of the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF). “We look forward to seeing how PLCnext Technology and Universal Automation will continue to work together to enhance automation operations.”

“The deployment of EAE on Phoenix Contact’s PLCnext Technology demonstrates that open automation solutions can be applied across diverse systems and provide greater flexibility in a rapidly changing digital world,” said Fabrice Jadot, Senior Vice President, Next Generation Automation Solutions Incubator at Schneider Electric. “No company in the world can achieve the goals of Industry 4.0 alone. This deployment of EAE demonstrates how open architectures and an expanded partner ecosystem can positively impact industrial operations.”