IIC Approves Factory Automation Platform as a Service (FA PaaS) Testbed Proposed by Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi and Intel

Testbed is expected to provide a practical approach toward using IoT for factory automation

TOKYO – Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that a factory automation platform as a service (FA PaaS) testbed, which is under joint development by Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, Ltd. and Intel Corporation, has been approved by the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) in the United States. The testbed is expected to facilitate the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) systems to connect manufacturing sites and head offices for strengthened operations, such as the globalization of supply chains and improved production quality, delivery time and productivity when responding to sudden changes in markets.

The IIC is an open-membership, international not-for-profit consortium that is leading the establishment of architectural frameworks and overall directions for the Industrial Internet.

With the testbed, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, and Intel will establish an open interface platform that integrates factory automation (FA) and information systems (IT) seamlessly by June of 2017. Mitsubishi Electric will develop FA edge devices, applications and other FA-related products such as programmable controllers and drive units in order to leverage its e-F@ctory IoT concept. Hitachi and Intel will handle IT-related products, such as IoT gateways and cloud systems.

After verifying the security of FA-IT interface platform connections and the flow of operational data, the testbed platform will be offered to IIC member companies and potential users to help facilitate their development of FA applications.

In addition, Mitsubishi Electric plans to collaborate with Hitachi and other companies to investigate how critical data can be extracted from mass amounts of on-site data available on shop floors. By incorporating these resulting technologies in solutions developed with e-F@ctory Alliance partner companies, and by widely offering them to industry organizations and standards organizations, such efforts are expected to lead to improved productivity and manufacturing stability.

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About e-F@ctory
Mitsubishi Electric is contributing advanced technologies and products to the accelerating development of factory automation. The Mitsubishi Electric-proposed e-F@ctory concept is a FA integrated solution for reducing the total cost of developing, producing and maintaining products. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will continue to pursue total solutions developed in collaboration with e-F@ctory Alliance partner companies that specialize in technologies for system integration, software and devices.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
With over 90 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Embracing the spirit of its corporate statement, Changes for the Better, and its environmental statement, Eco Changes, Mitsubishi Electric endeavors to be a global, leading green company, enriching society with technology. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 4,394.3 billion yen (US$ 38.8 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

*At an exchange rate of 113 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2016