Digitalization is shaping our lives and workplaces like never before. With this evolution comes an increased responsibility to protect data effectively and ensure stable service delivery. Information security is no longer a “should” but an absolute “must.”
As a provider of industrial software solutions from the cloud, quality, security, and reliability are our top priorities. We are delighted to announce our successful ISO 27001 certification by Datenschutz Cert. This confirms our commitment to providing products that meet the highest security standards and effectively protect data.
More security, efficiency, and sustainability with automation
Our goal was clear from the beginning: to meet security and stability requirements with innovative technologies. We rely heavily on automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to achieve this. These measures enable us to implement security mechanisms effectively and integrate them seamlessly into our development and operating processes.
One crucial aspect of our preparations was to take climate risks into account. Events like extreme weather pose potential threats to IT infrastructures. In response, we developed solutions that minimize risks while enhancing efficiency – such as monitoring tools and automated scaling. These technologies reduce our carbon footprint and help to ensure a high level of security and sustainability.
Security culture as a success factor
Information security is more than just meeting standards—it is an integral part of our corporate culture. Principles such as high availability, automation, and the use of a single source of truth define how we work and foster a structured approach to tackling complex challenges. A standout aspect is the contribution of our team. Regular training and a high level of security awareness ensure that information security is not just seen as a task for IT, but is practiced throughout the entire company. This holistic mindset was a cornerstone of our journey to achieving ISO 27001 certification.
Our automation strategies further illustrate how we combine efficiency with security. By standardizing processes, we reduce human error while laying the foundation for continuous improvement.
Added value for customers and partners
For our customers, certification means one thing above all: trust. ISO 27001 certification is an internationally recognized seal of quality and confirms that we adhere to the highest security standards. This not only enhances the reliability of our cloud products but also assures our customers that their data is in safe hands.
Our partners also benefit significantly from this certification. Standardized processes and clearly defined security requirements make collaboration more seamless, boost efficiency, and establish a foundation of trust for future projects. It is a crucial competitive advantage, especially in a dynamic environment like the cloud industry.
Our vision for the future
ISO 27001 certification is not an endpoint for us but a milestone in our ongoing journey to continuously enhance our security measures. For instance, we plan to make our monitoring systems even more robust, enabling us to detect potential risks more quickly and address them more effectively. The digital landscape is constantly changing – we are ready to face these challenges and ensure the security of our customers, partners, and their data.
Industry 4.0 promises more efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes through digitalization. The foundation for this is a seamless, automatic exchange of information between systems and products. This is where the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) comes into play.
An Asset Administration Shell is a vendor-independent standard for describing digital twins. Basically, it is the digital representation of an asset; either a physical product or a virtual object (e.g., documents or software).
The AAS defines the appearance of the asset in the digital world. It describes which information of a device is relevant for communication and how this information is presented. This means the AAS can provide all important data about the asset in a standardized and automated way.
Let us take a look at a practical application to understand the benefits of an AAS:
Use case: AAS as enabler for new services
As part of the ESCOM research project, CONTACT Software collaborates with GMN Paul Müller Industrie GmbH & Co. KG to implement AAS-based component services. The family-run company manufactures motor spindles which are installed by its customers as components in metalworking machine tools and then resold.
Before the project began, GMN had already developed a new sensor technology. It enables deep insights into the behavior of a spindle and provides information on overall operation of the spindle system. The company wants to use this data to offer new, product-related services:
Certified commissioning: Before GMN ships its spindles, the components are put through a defined test cycle on the company’s in-house test bench. GMN uses the data from this reference cycle to ensure that motor spindles are installed and commissioned correctly at the customer’s facility.
Predictive services: Using the IDEA-4S sensor microelectronics, customers shall be able to continuously record and analyze operating data that provide insights into the availability and operation of the spindles. If necessary, the data can be shared with GMN, for example, for problem analysis. This saves valuable time until the machine is back up and running. In the future, GMN will be able to offer smart predictive services like predictive maintenance.
About GMN Paul Müller Industrie GmbH
GMN Paul Müller Industrie GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned mechanical engineering company based in Nuremberg, Germany. It produces high-precision ball bearings, machine spindles, freewheel clutches, non-contact seals, and electric drives that are used in various industries. The company manufactures most of these components individually for its customers on site and sells its products via a global sales network.
How do we realize the new services?
To provide such services, companies must be able to access and analyze the sensor data of their machines. Furthermore, machines (or their components) must be enabled to communicate independently with other assets and systems on the shopfloor.
For both tasks, GMN uses CONTACT Elements for IoT. The modular software not only helps the company to record, document and evaluate the reference and usage data of their spindles. It also includes functions that enable users to create, fill and manage the AAS for an asset.
Background
During the implementation of services based on spindle operating data, GMN benefits from the cooperation with a customer. This company installs the spindles in processing machines that GMN uses to manufacture its own products. As a result, GMN can gather the operating data in-house and use it to improve the next generation of spindles.
What role does the AAS play?
For the components to exchange information in a standardized form, an AAS must be created for the spindle at item and serial number level. This is also done using CONTACT Elements for IoT. The new services are mapped in a so-called AAS metamodel. It serves as a “link” to the service offers.
AAS and submodels
The AAS of an Industry 4.0 component consists of one or more submodels that each contain a structured set of characteristics. These submodels are defined by the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA), an initiative in which 113 organizations from research, industry and software (including CONTACT Software) collaborate to define AAS standards. A list of all currently published submodels is available at https://industrialdigitaltwin.org/en/content-hub/submodels.
In CONTACT Elements for IoT, GMN can populate the AAS submodels with little effort. The platform includes a widget developed as a prototype during the research project. It provides an overview of which submodels currently exist for the asset and which are available but not yet created. Through the frontend, users can jump directly to the REST node server and upload or download submodels (in AAS/JSON format).
During the implementation of data-driven service offerings, GMN focuses on the submodels
Time Series Data (e.g., semantic information about time series data)
Digital Nameplate (e. g., information about the product, the manufacturer’s name, as well as product name and family),
Contact Information (standardized metadata of an asset) and
Carbon Footprint (information about the carbon footprint of an asset)
Filling the submodels is simple. This is demonstrated by the module Time Series Data. During the reference run of a motor spindle on the in-house test bench, the time series data is recorded by CONTACT Elements for IoT. The platform automatically transfers this data to the AAS submodel of the motor spindle being tested. At the same time, the platform creates a document for the reference run. This allows GMN to track its validity at any time and make it available to external stakeholders.
New services on the horizon
Using Asset Administration Shells allows GMN to realize its service ideas. This currently concerns the commissioning service and automated quality assurance services.
By analyzing the spindle data, the company can identify outliers in the operating data and make suitable recommendations for action. For example, different vibration velocities indicate an incorrect installation of the spindle in the machine or that time-varying processes are occurring. The analysis can also be used to provide insights about anomalies in operating behavior.
Dashboards in CONTACT Elements for IoT increase transparency. They provide GMN with all relevant information about the spindles on the test bench, from 3D models to status data. This overview is extremely valuable, particularly for quality management.
Summarized
Asset Administration Shells are vendor-independent standards for describing digital twins. They are among the most important levers for implementing new Industry 4.0 business models, as they enable communication between assets, systems, and organizations. The example of GMN demonstrates the practical benefits of the AAS. The company uses it to design new, product-related services based on information from the AAS of its products. GMN can successively improve these services by continuously analyzing operating data in CONTACT Elements for IoT.
“Country of poets and thinkers” or ” Country of ideas”: Germany is proud of its writers, scientists, researchers, and engineers. And of its meticulous bureaucracy, which aims for absolute precision in statements or indications. Combined, this often results in awkward word creation when naming technical terms. A current example of this is the “Verwaltungsschale” (literally: administration shell), whose innovative potential and central relevance for Industry 4.0 are not immediately apparent.
What is an Asset Administration Shell?
“Verwaltungsschale” is not a dusty administrative authority, but the very German translation of the English term “Asset Administration Shell” (AAS). The AAS is a standardized complete digital description of an asset. An asset is basically anything that can be connected as part of an Industrie 4.0 solution (for example, plants, machines, products as well as their individual components). It contains all information and enables the exchange and interaction between different assets, systems, and organizations in a networked industry. Therefore, it is pretty much the opposite of a sluggish authority and currently the buzzword in digital transformation.
As with many new topics, definitions of AAS vary and are quite broad. From very specific like the Asset Administration Shell as an implementation of the digital twin for Industry 4.0 to the loose description of AAS as a data plug or integration plug for digital ecosystems.
I prefer the representation of the AAS as a metamodel for self-describing an asset. With this metamodel, further models can be generated to provide collected information. Through the use of software, these models are then “brought to life” and are made available to others via interfaces.
Concept and usage of the Asset Administration Shell
As a digital representation of an asset, the AAS provides information or functions related to a specific context through its submodels. Examples include digital nameplates, technical documents, the component or asset structure, simulation models, time series data, or sustainability-relevant information such as the carbon footprint. The information is generated along the various phases of the lifecycle, and it depends on the specific value network which asset information is of importance. Thus, submodels are initially created in certain lifecycle phases, specified and elaborated in subsequent phases, and enriched or updated with information in the further process. Thereby, the AAS refers to either a very generic (type) or a very concrete (instance) representation of an asset.
As assets change over time (as-defined, as-designed, as-ordered, as-built, as-maintained), so does the Asset Administration Shell. Thus, multiple AASs can exist for the same asset over the lifecycle. In order to utilize the information in the AAS within its value network, it needs to be accessible. Access is usually given via the Internet or via the cloud (repository-deployed AAS). In intelligent systems, the management shell can also be part of the asset itself (asset-deployed AAS).
Information can be exchanged in various ways. Either via files, so-called AASX files (AAS type 1), via a server-client interaction such as RestAPI (AAS type 2) or via peer-to-peer interaction (AAS type 3), in which the AASs communicate independently using the so-called I4.0 language and perform tasks cooperatively.
While type 1 and 2 take a passive role in the value network and are more likely to be used with repository-held AAS, type 3 describes an active participation in the value network and is more likely to be used with asset-held AAS running smart products.
Common standards connect!
No matter what type of Asset Administration Shell you choose: Important is that the recipient and the provider speak the same language. To achieve this, the exchange of concrete information must be standardized. Considering the amount of different industries, scenarios, assets, and functions, this is an immense number of submodels that need to be standardized. Organizations and associations such as the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA), formed by research institutes, industrial companies, and software providers, are tackling this mammoth task. The rapidly growing number of members as well as the lively exchange at trade fairs and conferences among each other illustrate the potential for the industry. It is important not to leave SMEs behind, but to involve them in the standardization work in the best possible way.
Conclusion
The Asset Administration Shell is at the core of successful Industrie 4.0 scenarios. It enables manufacturer-independent interoperability and simplifies the integration of all types of assets into a collaborative value network. It increases efficiency within production processes by providing complete transparency of the real-time status of each asset. And it also offers a comprehensive security concept to protect the data. Within a very short time, the AAS has thus transformed from a theoretical construct to a real application in practice. Together with partners from research and industry, we are working within the ESCOM and Flex4Res research projects to make it usable on an industrial scale.
AAS in practice
In CONTACT Elements for IoT, you can create, manage and share asset administration shells. Our blog post ‘The asset administration shell in practice’ explains how companies benefit from this.
