Entivity Inc. and Comtrol Corporation announced a strategic partnership in May 2002 that integrates Comtrol's Ethernet-connected device servers and multiport controllers as the preferred connectivity hardware for all Entivity's control software. The offering enables customers in the industrial manufacturing, batch processing, and material handling automation markets to replace expensive and antiquated PLC-based systems with the latest PC-based control and monitoring capabilities. This new partnership provides customers with the capability of reducing system downtime, increasing visibility to plant floor devices, and sharply reducing support and maintenance costs previously associated with proprietary control systems.
One company taking advantage of the partnership is Kim Controls of Texas. Kim Controls provides open architecture control systems for electronic assembly applications. "Using Entivity's Think and Do® Live! [see screen shot] and Comtrol's Din-rail mounted RocketPort® Serial Hub ia [pictured below], we are able to capture and disseminate RFID (radio frequency identification) and bar code data quickly and efficiently. The cost of maintenance, cabling, and the hardware itself is dramatically lower than using a PLC architecture. As a result, my customer has achieved a faster ROI and can obtain more real-time information compared to other PLC-based systems," stated Mark Waggoner of Kim Controls.
Customers such as Kim Controls are looking to Entivity and Comtrol to lead the way in open architecture connectivity, helping them control and manage the vast amount of industrial serial devices. They see the marketplace moving away from proprietary and costly PLC-based controls. Customers want to take advantage of the stability and economies of scale that Ethernet and solid-state embedded servers can provide.
"Comtrol is pleased to be selected by Entivity, the leading provider of PC-based control software, as their preferred vendor for legacy serial device control. Along with connectivity via Ethernet, Comtrol offers Entivity customers remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities for their serial devices such as servos, flow meters, RFID readers and barcode scanners. This will increase the openness and visibility of plant operations, regardless of location," said Bradford Beale, general manager of Comtrol's Industrial Applications Division.
"Comtrol's expertise in serial device control and diagnostic capabilities are a perfect match for the Entivity suite of control software products, including Think & Do Live!, Steeplechase VLC™, and Studio™," said Jeff Fisher, vice president of sales and support at Entivity. "Kim Controls is a great example of how open technologies can be combined to provide application-specific solutions that provide fast ROI," added Fisher.
