Draft:Open Process Automation Forum

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Open Process Automation Forum
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016)
ParentThe Open Group
Websitehttps://www.opengroup.org/opaf

The Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF) is a forum of The Open Group. The forum is responsible for development of the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS™ Standard) and various other supporting documents.

History[edit]

The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF) held initial formation meetings in 2016 in San Francisco, California[1]. By December 2016, there were 41 member organizations that had joined the forum during the pre-formation stage[1]. The forum was officially formed in 2017[2][3].

In 2019, ExxonMobil announced a collaboration agreement with six (6) other companies: Aramco Services Company, BASF, Dow Chemical Company, Georgia-Pacific, ConocoPhillips, and Linde plc. An ExxonMobil test bed was to be operationalized later that year whereby the collaboration partners could test and evaluate the performance of individual components.[4]

Membership[edit]

OPAF requires organizations to establish membership with The Open Group before participating in the forum. As of March 2024, the membership roster lists 90+ organizations. Majority of the organizations on the member list are end users, system integrators, and vendors within the process automation industry.[5]

There are eight (8) distributed control system (DCS) vendors listed on the OPAF membership roster[5]:

  1. ABB
  2. Honeywell
  3. Rockwell Automation
  4. Schneider Electric
  5. Siemens
  6. SUPCON
  7. Valmet (Metso)
  8. Yokogawa Electric

Organization of the Forum[edit]

The forum has four main working groups: enterprise architecture, business, technology, and certification. There is also a project manager.[6]

Publications[edit]

Standards[edit]

The O-PAS™ Standard

Main article: Open Process Automation Standard

Guides[edit]

O PAS™ Adoption Guide

The document is 33 pages in length, available in English only, and was initially published in March 2023. The document is written in a "Question and Answer" format and provides guidance on things to consider when adopting and implementing open process automation systems in an end-user facility. The document is written from various perspectives within the process automation business ecosystem.[7]

The Open Process Automation™ Business Guide

Initially published in January 2018[8] and updated in 2021.[9] This document is 60 pages in length and available in English and Chinese translation. The document details the business case, value proposition, guiding principles, and quality attributes of the O-PAS standard. The document also defines the roles of end users, system integrators, and suppliers of hardware, software, solutions and services. The guide further outlines the value proposition for each of those actors in the business ecosystem.[10]

White Papers[edit]

The Security Approach of the O-PAS™ Standard

Published in March 2023 and available in English.[11]

Improving Profitability through Open Process Automation™ Systems

Published in November 2021 and available in English and Chinese translation.

Open Standards in Process Automation: The Key to Industrial Profitability

Published in July 2019 and available in English and Chinese translation.

Requirements for an Open Process Automation™ Standard

Published in May 2018 and available in English.

External Relationships[edit]

The Open Process Automation Forum maintains external relationships with a number of standards development organizations and trade associations[12].

Media Coverage[edit]

There are dozens of media coverage articles on OPAF listed on the organization website that span 2016 to present.[18]

An Automation.com article from January 2017 groups "suppliers that have joined the effort" as each being in one of "three camps of motivation".[1]

  • Suppliers that want to protect their business with ExxonMobil and other major users that have joined
  • Suppliers that want to gain a greater share of business from ExxonMobil and other major users that have joined
  • Suppliers that see the technological changes and open standards as an opportunity to expand their business.

An LNS Research article from 2017 outlines three possible outcomes for the O-PAS initiative: (A) limited selection, (B) stable and viable market, and (C) lowest common denominator[19]

  • Outcome A: Where a few vendors provide O-PAS products and the majority of end users buy them
  • Outcome B: Where a good percentage of vendors provide O-PAS products and many end users buy them
  • Outcome C: Where most vendors provide O-PAS products and only a few users are willing to buy them

An Automation World article from December 2019 did an overview of the Open Process Automation Forum a few years after formation. The article positions membership at around 135 organizations. The article positively covered the work done by the forum up to that point. It also balances the positive coverage by reporting that "not everyone agrees that this open architecture approach is a good thing." It further details Honeywell and Emerson as two DCS suppliers electing to withhold OPAF participation.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "The Open Group Launches Initial Meeting of Open Process Automation Forum". automation.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  2. ^ Neil, Stephanie (2017-01-04). "Introducing the Open Process Automation Forum. Finally". Automation World. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  3. ^ "The Open Group Launches the Open Process Automation™ Forum | www.opengroup.org". www.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ^ "ExxonMobil Signs Collaboration Agreement to Accelerate Development of Open Process Automation Systems". www.businesswire.com. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  5. ^ a b Report, Report (March 19, 2024). "Membership Report on March 19, 2024". OPAF Membership Report. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "OPAF Org Chart | www.opengroup.org". www.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  7. ^ "O PAS™ Adoption Guide". publications.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  8. ^ The Open Process Automation Business Guide (PDF). The Open Group. January 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ "The Open Process Automation™ Business Guide". publications.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Scott (2024-04-22). "Open Process Automation Value Opportunities for the Chemical Industry". Chemical Engineering. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  11. ^ "The Security Approach of the O-PAS™ Standard". publications.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  12. ^ "Atila Belloquim on LinkedIn: #theopengroup". pt.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  13. ^ a b "Open Process Automation is Gaining Sustainable Momentum". www.yokogawa.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  14. ^ "FieldComm Group and The Open Group Process Automation Forum announce liaison agreement". automation.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  15. ^ TimesTech (2024-04-25). "PICMG InterEdge and OPAF Partnership to Advance Open Process Control Technology". TimesTech. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  16. ^ wendelien (2018-11-27). "PLCopen cooperates with OPAF". plcopen.org. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. ^ NAMUR. "The Open Group and NAMUR sign memorandum of understanding to cooperate on open automation system standards". www.namur.net. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  18. ^ "The Open Group Open Process Automation™ Forum Media Coverage | www.opengroup.org". www.opengroup.org. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  19. ^ "Gauging if the Open Process Automation Forum Will Deliver". blog.lnsresearch.com. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  20. ^ Neil, Stephanie (2019-12-06). "Where Are They Now? An Open Process Automation Forum Update". Automation World. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
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