Last week Software Toolbox was one of the 39 vendors exhibiting and presenting at the ProveIt! Conference in Dallas (check out the other ones we'll be at). We hardly noticed the freezing cold Texas weather (yes, that's right, it was less than 10 degrees) as we had heated (constructive) discussions on and off the stage and exhibition floor. In this blog you'll learn what we proved, and get to see it in action in video!
What was ProveIt! all about?
To quote the organizers of the event: "ProveIt! is an industry-focused conference where vendors showcase solutions by integrating their hardware and software into a simulated manufacturing environment. Vendors connect their technology to a virtual factory, solving real-world challenges and demonstrating the value of their offerings in front of a live audience."
ProveIt! was a challenge to drop the Sales and Marketing talk (a.k.a. slides). As one conference attendee put it on LinkedIn: "ProveIt! Conference says it all in the name. Walker Reynolds and his team challenged vendors in manufacturing to show up and show out. The entire event centered around vendors PROVING their sales claims and showing the audience what they could build in a real environment in 16 weeks. I go to a lot of conferences, but this was different."
I second all of the above! But let's get into some more detail of what actually happened and what had to happen to get there and then show you what we proved!
Conference Goals
The conference aimed to create a collaborative environment where vendors (we, us, Software Toolbox) can “prove” their solutions in action (and oh boy, did we get into action!!!). By connecting to a Unified Namespace (UNS) and addressing common manufacturing challenges, we were tasked to showcase practical, innovative approaches that improve manufacturing processes. So, what did Software Toolbox do? Let's find out...
Timeline & Questions
To even the playfield, all vendors had the same timeline and infrastructure to work with:
- 20-16 weeks before: Collaborating with the ProveIt! technical committee to define a real business problem for the vendor to solve, have it approved by the committee, and write the functional specification and have it approved.
- Weeks 1-16: Building the solution according to the functional spec, working on integration and testing with the provided data sources in the UNS.
- At the show: Presenting our solution live on stage, connecting to the live UNS infrastructure and following 4 very important rules below (see below).
The virtual factory was modeled after a real-life flexible packaging manufacturer, simulating the data and operations infrastructure. We integrated our solution into the virtual factory by connecting to the infrastructure via SQL, MQTT, and OPC and used the factory’s real-time data and simulated environment to demonstrate our solution. And during the presentation, the following questions had to be answered:
- What problem did you solve?
- How did you solve it?
- How long did it take to implement?
- If a manufacturer wanted this solution, how much would it generally cost?
The Software Toolbox Demo
Our live demo showcased how manufacturers, in the demo a hypothetical company called SWTB Printing, can modernize operations, enhance safety, and optimize efficiency while leveraging existing infrastructure. We showed how it is to easily configure off-the-shelf software solutions for OT/IT/ET convergence, enabling Unified Namespace Compliance and readiness at all levels in the organization. This is particularly important for manufacturers who have existing OT technology in their facility that is a few years or decades old. Without ‘ripping and replacing’, they often wonder if there is a way to make the infrastructure and technology landscape compatible with the Unified Namespace (UNS)? If yes, this would reduce the barrier to entry for considering new ways to unlock operational efficiencies and modern ways to benefit their business which could be AI-powered.
Take a look!
Laying the foundation: Scenario and problem to be solved
In our Demo, our mythical client "SWTB Printing" and Software Toolbox, already had a first briefing and Software Toolbox is now presenting a Proof of Concept based on this architecture below. Join the meeting and experience the 5-step solution Software Toolbox is presenting.
Step 1: UNS enable the Camera
Cogent DataHub pulls data from the camera and publishes it to the UNS, and subscribes to production data in the UNS. For the camera that watches the operator, it is used to convert visual “camera” data to encoded Base64 format, a standard image encoding. More below »
Step 2: Modernize and UNS enable the Andon Board
OmniServer is used to configure a documented custom protocol used by the Andon display board, thus adding OPC UA and optional MQTT client functionality the legacy display making it "UNS Enabled". More below »
Step 3: UNS enable the PLC and Stack Light
Through MQTT subscriptions to the UNS broker, Cogent DataHub receives the results of the AI analysis, and production data to be bridged over to be displayed on the Andon display board and set the PLC stack light status. More below »
Step 4: Connect Andon Board and PLC to UNS
TOP Server communicates with an AutomationDirect PLC via a legacy serial connection, and makes the data available via OPC interfaces, thus UNS Enabling the PLC. More below »
Step 5: Vision AI Hard Hat Detection incl. Systems Test
When the results are received from Google Cloud AI vision, another function block unpacks the results, uses standard function blocks to decide if the operator is wearing a hat or not and their mood, and delivers that data back to the UNS via MQTT. The PLC has a stack light connected to its I/O that indicates line status. When the AI model indicates that a safety requirement has been breached, data written to the TOP Server via OPC from Cogent DataHub that is acting as the MQTT to OPC gateway, will stop the line and update the stack lite. More below »
We proved it at ProveIt!
Here's Walker's comments on LinkedIn and in his latest podcast named the Software Toolbox demo as a home run! "They didn't just prove it, they slayed it" were his comments in the 2/27 Industry 4.0 Podcast!
Participating in ProveIt! was a unique experience
And while the principle of ProveIt! sounds so simple, it is hardly (n)ever done (spoiler alert: there will be a ProveIt Conference in 2026): SHOW what you are doing, PROVE your point. And yet, in the almost 20 years I have been in the Automation Industry, it has never been done. Until now. Spoiler Alert: Software Toolbox did Prove It!
One of my colleagues said: "This was the most collaborative conference I have ever experienced. It was the only one where I had vendors coming up and asking what data we are publishing to the UNS and then had multiple vendors use that data in their application. The best part was the Common Infrastructure that forced the collaboration. Without this common UNS, it would not have been the same level of collaboration."
Another attendee stated: "I would say one of my key takeaways is that digital transformation is happening and those in our industry that wait will fall further and further behind. Getting ahead of the curve and starting a digital transformation plan now, because we know it can take years to implement, is ever important and utilizing the resources that vendors provide is critical because of how involved they are with Industry 4.0 and other customers' digital transformations. Those who don’t adapt and adopt will be playing catch up for years to come because it is clear where the industry is headed. It doesn’t mean that you need to rip and replace everything now, but at least get a plan in place."
The solution presented consists of the following technologies:
Software
- Cogent DataHub pulls together data from the camera and publishes it to the UNS, and subscribes to production data in the UNS. For the camera that watches the operator, it is used to convert visual “camera” data to encoded Base64 format, a standard image encoding. These “pictures” are then published with MQTT to the HiveMQ broker in the UNS. Through MQTT subscriptions to the UNS broker, Cogent DataHub receives the results of the AI analysis, and production data to be bridged over to be displayed on the Andon display board and set the PLC stack light status. Data sent from the DataHub to the Andon and PLC are delivered via OPC, demonstrating native OPC UA connections and MQTT or OPC UA to OPC DA gateway capabilities. LEARN MORE »
- OPC Router subscribes to data from the UNS HiveMQ broker that contains the string encoded Base64 camera image. It takes that string value is then transformed through a visually edited function block into the format that Google Cloud AI vision needs, and sent to the cloud as a REST client. When the results are received from Google Cloud AI vision, another function block unpacks the results, uses standard function blocks to decide if the operator is wearing a hat or not and their mood, and delivers that data back to the UNS via MQTT. To demonstrate OPC UA capabilities, although not required, OPC Router subscribes to the OPC UA endpoint in the UNS to retrieve OEE data from the common Enterprise namespace, and publishes it back to our vendor specific namespace, to show OPC UA to MQTT transformation. LEARN MORE >>
- OmniServer is used to configure a documented custom protocol used by the Andon display board, thus adding OPC UA and optional MQTT client functionality the legacy display making it "UNS Enabled". The Cogent DataHub that is subscribed to the UNS MQTT Broker bridges or relays messages to be displayed on the Andon board about OEE operating parameters or Hard Hat Status and line status. LEARN MORE »
- TOP Server communicates with an AutomationDirect PLC via a legacy serial connection, and makes the data available via OPC interfaces, thus UNS Enabling the PLC. The PLC has a a stack light connected to its I/O that indicates line status. When the AI model indicates that a safety requirement has been breached, data written to the TOP Server via OPC from Cogent DataHub that is acting as the MQTT to OPC gateway, will stop the line and update the stack lite. Although TOP Server has a native OPC UA connection, we will use it's OPC DA interface to illustrate how Cogent DataHub can modernize OPC Classic DA servers that don't have UA and make them UNS Enabled. LEARN MORE »
Back to the videos »
Hardware
- USB camera (or built-in laptop camera)
- Andon Display Board (serial connection) to display messages and safety-stop events
- AutomationDirect PLC + Industrial stack light
- … and of course a safety hard hat!
External Tools
- Google Vision AI (cloud based)
- Existing UNS with MQTT, Sparkplug, & OPC UA interfaces
- Internet connectivity
In case you are wondering why we do go to Events & Conferences like this (check out the other ones we'll be at), there is nothing like talking to each other in person and establishing that individual connection and become part of a community of very diverse people working to reach the same goal. Check out this blog "The Top 5 Practical Reasons to Attend Industry Events This Year"
