Most devices in a plant speak their own language: PLCs, drives and meters from different vendors each use a communication structure of their own. In such closed structures, distributing field data to different units is laborious and costly if not impossible, and the data is often moved by hand to where it is needed. The result is a dilemma: either make do with little data or bear the labor and efficiency loss of collecting it. OPC is the interoperability standard that removes this dilemma.

Technology
Kepware Server, OPC UA and DA, OPC Router
Connectivity
More than 150 controller drivers
Services
Sales, installation and integration, maintenance and service, consulting
Responsible team
OPC Turkey (ASP Group)

What is OPC and why does it matter?

OPC, the automation standard born from the principle of interoperability, brings to SCADA and higher-level software the kind of flexibility that the IEC standard brought at the controller level. From any computer on your plant network, regardless of operating system, you can communicate with any hardware in the field that supports the standard. No special hardware is needed: the existing Ethernet infrastructure is used, data collected from the field is read from an OPC server and passed to any destination.

Kepware Server

Kepware's flagship product Kepware Server (formerly KEPServerEX, now part of Velotic) is a communication platform that delivers industrial automation data to all your applications from a single source. With one interface it connects to many different automation devices and software packages and enables monitoring, control and management; it uses OPC and IT communication protocols (SNMP, ODBC, web services and others) together. It is designed around four pillars: interoperability, central communication, scalability and industrial robustness.

ASP Group has been Kepware's sole official distributor in Turkey since 2003. Since 2016 sales, project and technical support activities in OPC have been carried out under OPC Turkey; for product details, driver lists and technical content see opcturkey.com.

Data path from plant to reportAn industrial data path from PLC, DCS and SCADA sources through a connectivity layer and storage to reports, dashboards and enterprise systems.At every step: name, unit, timestamp and quality are preservedSourcesPLC, DCS, SCADA,metersConnectivitylayerDrivers, OPC UA,MQTT; KEPServerEXand OPC RouterStorageHistorian and SQLdatabase;bufferingUseReports,dashboards,analytics; MES andERPMeasurements flow left to right; historical queries and reporting run from the same storage layer
The value lies not in one screen but in moving data to the right place with its name, unit, time and quality.

Where is it used?

  • SCADA and HMI connectivity: reading the data of PLCs from different brands from a single server.
  • DCS and historian integration: moving process data from the control system into the reporting and analysis layer.
  • Feeding upper systems: providing data with timestamps and quality to MES, ERP and databases.
  • Modernizing legacy OPC DA applications: a phased move to OPC UA without DCOM dependency.
  • Industry 4.0 projects: opening field data to the IT side securely.

Services we provide

  1. Product sales and marketingSelection, licensing and supply of Kepware and OPC Router products.
  2. System installation and integrationDriver configuration, building the tag model, connecting client applications and acceptance testing.
  3. Maintenance, service and consultingVersion upgrades, performance and security improvement, architecture consulting.
OPC TurkeyKepware Server and OPC Router products, driver lists, technical content.Kepware OPCKepware Server features and connectivity capabilities.OPC RouterAutomatic data exchange between systems.Moving from OPC DA to OPC UAA guide to a DCOM-free, phased and secure migration.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Kepware Server and OPC Router?

Kepware Server is the connectivity platform that connects to devices through drivers and presents data through OPC and similar interfaces. OPC Router is used to design condition- or event-based data flows between systems such as OPC, databases, MES and SAP. The two products are also used together.

When should I move from OPC DA to OPC UA?

When DCOM configuration, security and operating-system support start to cause problems, or when a new upper system expects UA. The move is usually phased; see our migration article for details.

Which devices can be connected?

Kepware Server offers more than 150 controller drivers. For a specific device or protocol you can check the most current list on the OPC Turkey pages or ask us.