Yaskawa and Phoenix Contact announce partnership

Yaskawa, a manufacturer of motion control, robotics, and variable speed drives and Phoenix Contact, a manufacturer of automation solutions, are proud to announce an agreement to utilize PLCnext Technology from Phoenix Contact in the development of the next generation machine controller and PLC platform realizing the i3-Mechatronics solution concept lead by Yaskawa.

The common goal of both companies is to offer an open and future-proof ecosystem for industrial automation. In this context, Phoenix Contact has licensed its PLCnext runtime environment to Yaskawa and agrees on further joint developments.

Yaskawa sees PLCnext as the most open industrial automation software platform available today, combining IEC61131-3 programming, modern programming languages, safety hardware and software and control system security. It will use the PLCnext technology to further enhance and develop its machine control product offering.

“I am pleased that we are now further intensifying our long-standing, trusting business relationship and expanding our partnership in the field of industrial control technology,” says Bruno Schnekenburger, CEO and President of Yaskawa Europe.

Ulrich Leidecker, president, business area Industrial Management and Automation (IMA) of Phoenix Contact, adds that “the openness of the PLCnext ecosystem enables a highly flexible, safe and modern automation technolog,” he says. “The technology partnership with Yaskawa is a milestone for the automation industry, because the more partners act in an open automation ecosystem, the more valuable it becomes for each individual participant”.

John Payne, senior VP of Motion for Yaskawa America, concludes, “this new platform will combine control for logic, motion and robotics with solutions for Industrie 4.0 applications. It will also enhance the control product offering from Yaskawa with solutions for network safety and control system security.”