Yaskawa and Phoenix Contact agree on a partnership for the PLCnext Technology open automation platform

The shared goal of Yaskawa, an industrial robotics and mechatronics manufacturer, and Phoenix Contact, a manufacturer of automation solutions, is to drive forward the transition away from proprietary solutions towards an open and future-proof ecosystem for industrial automation. Yaskawa, a leading company in this industry, has decided to use PLCnext Technology. As a part of this framework, Phoenix Contact will license its PLCnext runtime environment to Yaskawa and has agreed upon joint further development. Yaskawa plans to use the PLCnext runtime system in the fields of Motion Controls and Robotics, initially in Europe and the USA.

“I am really happy that we are now deepening our long-standing, trusting business relationship even further and expanding our partnership in the field of industrial control technology,” emphasizes Bruno Schnekenburger, CEO and President of Yaskawa Europe.Ulrich Leidecker, COO and President of the Industrial Management and Automation Business Area at Phoenix Contact, adds, “The openness of the PLCnext ecosystem enables a large number of providers to offer highly flexible, secure, and modern automation technology. This technology partnership with Yaskawa is a milestone for the automation industry, because the more partners that engage in an open automation ecosystem, the more beneficial it becomes for every single participant.”

PLCnext Technology is the open ecosystem for industrial automation from Phoenix Contact. With a combination of open control technology, modular engineering software, and an online community, this solution allows users to adapt easily to changing demands and to use existing and future software services efficiently. Featuring a digital marketplace for software and systematic cloud integration, PLCnext Technology is well equipped to face the challenges of the IoT world.