The OPC Foundation (www.opcfoundation.org), based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has introduced an OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) Test and Certification Program for products from OPC Foundation corporate members. The new membership benefit is a result of the increasing adoption of OPC UA (an open communication standard), and the OPC Foundation’s commitment to interoperability and ease-of-use for OPC UA products, the Foundation said in a Jan. 10 press release announcing the program.
The number of OPC UA products tested will be in accordance with an individual company’s type of membership, and the testing will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. All testing will be conducted in the North American Test Lab in Scottsdale, and will begin in the second quarter of 2011, according to the announcement.
OPC Foundation membership is comprised of manufacturers and solution providers in factory and process automation, as well as enterprise solutions. Certification of an OPC UA product establishes credibility and ensures that the product is fully compliant with the OPC UA Specifications and can interoperate with other OPC Foundation member products, the Foundation said.
“OPC Foundation Lab Certification is something that every end-user should demand of their OPC vendors,” said Nathan Pocock, director of compliance. “Products awarded the Lab Certification logo will not only be tested for function and performance but will also be tested against other OPC Foundation products to ensure interoperability. End-users have been asking for Lab Certification for years and they can now rest assured that certified products will have been thoroughly tested.”
OPC Foundationwww.opcfoundation.org
