ABB fires salvo in architecture war

Over the past year, Invensys has been pushing its software architecture as hard as any of the major plant automation vendors, but Dinesh Paliwal, an executive VP with rival ABB, and head of its $8.5-billion Automation Technologies business, isn't about to cede leadership to anyone. At a recent ABB media day introducing its new 800xA automation system, built on ABB's Industrial IT architecture, Paliwal was asked about Invensys' ArchestrA architecture.

Paliwal acknowledged that ArchestrA competes with Industrial IT, but added, "Our feeling is that they are about two years behind." He went on to add that rivals might be able to close gaps on specific features, but for now, "I believe we have a clear lead."

The 800xA unveiling focused on underlying capabilities for integration and reuse of intellectual property (see p. 39, ABB expands integration push with 800xA) rather than on any formal assessment of competitors, but Paliwal's comments show automation giants are vying for architecture leadership. Not surprisingly, Invensys was ready to counter the comments.

Mike Bradley, Sr., president of Wonderware, Invensys's plant intelligence software unit, as well as president of ArchestrA efforts, says there are three main points that set ArchestrA apart. First, he says, it's a pure software architecture that integrates with any vendor's system; second, ArchestrA technology has shipped to more than 2,500 customers and will help make them more productive; and third, it uses the latest Microsoft .NET technologies.

"True leadership is best measured in the superior levels of productivity and cost savings that are being achieved on behalf of customers," says Bradley.

ABB says there are 400-plus customers using Industrial IT-enabled products, though admittedly fewer for 800xA. ABB also touts Industrial IT's ability to integrate with third-party systems.

The architecture war is sure to continue, but there is agreement the battleground will be on making plant information management solutions simpler to roll out, integrate, and reuse. Paliwal, for instance, said easier "reuse" of engineering work is a key goal behind 800xA, as is "[how to] improve the productivity of our customers."