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Yokogawa announces Architecture Development division and Bayshore investment

Published by , Editor - Hydrocarbon Engineering
Hydrocarbon Engineering,


Yokogawa Electric Corporation has established a new division known as the Architecture Development Division California: an organisation that is dedicated to the development of architecture for the industrial internet of things (IIoT). This division commenced operations on the 1 November 2016. Furthermore, the company has made a strategic investment in Bayshore Networks, Inc., a US technology innovator that is developing cybersecurity software for the industrial internet of things (IIoT). With this investment, Yokogawa will help Bayshore Networks continue development of its IIoT security technology, and will benefit from Bayshore’s communications control and other technologies. The partnership is expected to help speed Yokogawa’s development of the IIoT architecture needed to expand its solutions lineup.

Architecture Development

To improve operational efficiency and productivity by using the IIoT, a robust and flexible architecture is required. For this purpose, Yokogawa has set up the Architecture Development Division California to pursue the development of core technologies. The new division will function as a unit of Yokogawa’s Marketing Headquarters’ Business Development Centre, and will keep up with the new technologies being developed every day in the IIoT sector and facilitate close co-ordination with partner companies. The new division is based on the West Coast of the United States, which is a centre of research and development activity for numerous technology firms. The new division is staffed by engineers from Yokogawa who have an extensive knowledge of Yokogawa systems and services, and locally recruited engineers who are conversant in a range of IT fields. To start with, the division is located at the engineering office of a partner company, and it is scheduled to open its own office in April 2017.

The division will later add functions for planning services that use the IIoT and cloud computing, and it is expected that the number of staff will be increased to around 50 over the next five years. With this new division, Yokogawa will accelerate its development of cutting edge IIoT architecture with the aim of offering its customers safer and more user friendly solutions.

Baytown investment

 

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Bayshore Networks offers cybersecurity system solutions for industrial applications. The firm has a number of strategic partners in the IT sector and has gained recognition for its expertise in IIoT cybersecurity.

Bayshore Networks has created communications control technology for Layer 7 of the open systems interconnection (OSI) reference model: a model in which the functions of communication devices are divided into seven layers. This model was defined by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to facilitate data communication among different communication systems. As well as offering cybersecurity technology, this capability can also be employed in safety solutions for monitoring and controlling production facilities. As this technology has the potential to become a crucial component in Yokogawa’s IIoT architecture research and development efforts, Yokogawa has invested US$900 000 in this company.

Tsuyoshi Abe, a Yokogawa Vice President and head of the company’s marketing headquarters, commented: “Yokogawa’s control business offers solutions ranging from field sensors to control systems, manufacturing execution systems (MES), and management information systems that help its customers improve their operational efficiency and safety and make more effective use of their business assets. We are looking forward to creating new value by providing further innovative solutions and services to our customers by partnering with Bayshore Networks and its cutting edge technologies for IIoT security.”

“Yokogawa shares our vision for a secure IIoT enabling new applications that will increase safety, optimise processes, and drive efficiencies” said Mike Dager, CEO of Bayshore Networks: “We are proud and excited to partner with such a renowned global leader in industrial controls.”

Recent advances in the IIoT field are making it easier to obtain information through networks and apply it in various solutions. With this investment, Yokogawa and Bayshore Networks will share knowledge and expertise in plant process control and operation, including the latest IIoT security and communications innovations, in support of Yokogawa’s IIoT architecture development. Based on these technologies, Yokogawa aims to expand the lineup of operational technology safety solutions that it will offer to its industrial customers to help optimise their plant operations.

Yokogawa has drawn up a long term business framework and formulated a vision statement that reads: “Through Process Co-Innovation, Yokogawa creates new value with its clients for a brighter future. Process Co-Innovation is a concept for an automation business that will utilise all of Yokogawa’s measurement, control, and information technologies. According to this statement, Yokogawa will seek not only to optimise production processes but also the flow of material and information within and between companies, including their value and supply chains. This concept covers all the solutions offered by Yokogawa, which is committed to working with customers to create value. The effective use of IIoT is key to Process Co-Innovation.

Based on its corporate brand slogan of “Co-innovating tomorrow”, Yokogawa plans to leverage Bayshore Networks’ technology to develop new solutions and create new value in collaboration with its customers and partners.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/product-news/07112016/yokogawa-announces-architecture-development-division-and-bayshore-investment/

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