WS-Food: a new interface standard for the food industry
Unified machine language makes IT projects more time and cost effective
WS-FOOD is a new standard for production data collection that significantly simplifies the communication between food producer, machine supplier and IT provider. With its help, manufacturers can connect machines to IT via a standardized interface and implement new IT projects without high implementation costs. These include, for example, item-specific analyzes of every device involved in the process, with which production managers can optimize the efficiency of the entire production. But unlike its predecessor »WS-Pack«, which has already established itself in the beverage and filling industry, "WS-Food" has largely been a secret tip, especially in the meat industry. WS-Food on the way to the standard interface in the food industryMany machine manufacturers implement individual interfaces with their own protocol and own evaluation software for their devices. Large food companies, which often have their own IT departments with concrete ideas and requirements, can hardly live with such island solutions. With the large number of devices from different manufacturers, the implementation costs are much too high for matching connection points and analysis tools. Dieter Conzelmann, Director of Industry Solutions at Bizerba, explains: "The IT departments are therefore calling on machine manufacturers to implement a solution that fits perfectly into the IT landscape and integrates the machines into the data network. This often leads to costly adjustment work, dissatisfaction and time delays. "Not all companies can meet this requirement, they fall behind in the competition - even if the machine performs best.