OMRON Corporation (OMRON, HQ: Kyoto-shi, Kyoto. President and CEO: Junta Tsujinaga) and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. (NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, (formerly NTT Communications Corporation), HQ: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. President and CEO: Katsushige Kojima) have entered into a partnership (hereinafter referred to as the “partnership”) to provide secure data collaboration solutions that connect manufacturing sites (Operational Technology, hereinafter referred to as “OT”) to external networks (IT), to realize safe, secure, smooth global data collaboration among companies across the supply chain by utilizing dataspaces such as Catena-X^*1 data ecosystem.

The two companies will further promote co-creation through academic-industrial alliance by participating in the “University of Tokyo’s International Testbed of Dataspaces Technology”, organized by Professor Noboru Koshizuka of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo, with a view to facilitating the social implementation of the concept by international initiatives on dataspaces such as Manufacturing-X^*2 , which will become fully operational in the future.

1.Background

With the advancement of Industry 4.0^*3 and the spread of IoT, AI, and robotics, supply chains in the manufacturing industry are rapidly becoming more global and complex. As a result, improving productivity and energy efficiency, reducing costs, and shortening delivery times are strongly demanded across companies, and strengthening the resilience of the entire supply chain is an urgent task to ensure stable business continuity and competitive advantage. Furthermore, with the need to respond quickly to a variety of external factors, including geopolitical risks, ESG considerations, natural disasters, and cybersecurity threats, it is essential to visualize the entire supply chain, streamline information sharing, and strengthen data collaboration among companies.

However, collecting and analyzing data is not easy because the data formats and connection methods vary depending on the on-site device and equipment at different manufacturing sites. In addition, there are many challenges to data utilization, including a shortage of IoT specialists and a lack of know-how on how to configure and operate software, network, and cloud for utilizing collected data. Also, OT and IT are configured in separate environments for security and operational reasons, and careful design is required for their interconnection. Thus, there are many technical and safety barriers to integration with the cloud and external data utilization.

There has been a growing demand for a new mechanism that enables safe, secure, and efficient data sharing and collaboration among companies while protecting data sovereignty, rather than limiting such OT and IT data collaboration within each company. Japanese companies are also recognizing the importance of cross-company data collaboration as its need is rapidly expanding.

Against this backdrop, OMRON and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS have been working since October 2022 to jointly develop and conduct proof-of-concept experiments on solutions for connection to Catena-X standard dataspace and other systems, leveraging OMRON’s strengths in industrial automation technology and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS’s IT solutions.

Now, with OMRON’s unique products that facilitate the collection and aggregation of on-site data required for carbon neutrality and the launch of NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS services that provide a more secure communications environment, the two companies have entered into a full partnership to provide secure data collaboration solutions.

2.Outline of partnership

OMRON’s Data Flow Controller^*4 is an edge controller that can easily collect, analyze, and visualize data from manufacturing sites. Meanwhile, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS offers “docomo business RINK^® WAN security function^*5” and “docomo business SIGN^™*6”, both of which are NaaS offerings featuring network-embedded security that only a telecommunications carrier can provide.

Connecting OMRON’s Data Flow Controller with NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS’s high-quality, highly reliable network and security services will enable easy and secure connection of OT data from manufacturing sites to the cloud and dataspaces. Both companies will provide secure data collaboration solutions by combining their OT and IT, building a platform that enables trusted data sharing and collaboration among companies, thereby promoting digitalization and carbon neutrality for enhanced competitiveness of the manufacturing industry.

■ Solutions provided through partnership

■ Roles of companies

3.Prospects

Going forward, OMRON and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS will further deepen their collaboration on solutions, promoting the development and provision of solutions and services that contribute to resolving global industrial issues and working to realize sustainable manufacturing, aiming to create smart industries and smart ecosystems.

In addition to providing solutions to businesses through this partnership, we will strengthen industry-academia collaboration by partnering with the University of Tokyo as mentioned above. Through the participation, we will create a collaborative ecosystem where a variety of companies in the manufacturing and IT industries, as well as research institutions both in Japan and abroad, can experience, evaluate, and verify the solutions. Based on insights gained from the testbed and feedback from manufacturing customers, we will promote the co-creation and dissemination of secure data collaboration solutions across countries and industries.

In the future, we will accelerate the implementation of “Manufacturing-X” compatible solutions, which is considered the next stage of Industry 4.0, to build a next-generation trusted digital network^*7 that enables data exchange among companies while ensuring data sovereignty, security, and reliability. In particular, we will accelerate international joint experiments and implementation to expedite the realization of “Factory-X^*8” concept, a system that enables machines, devices, and robotics on manufacturing sites to autonomously exchange data with AI on the cloud.

■ Comment from co-creation partner

Noboru Koshizuka,
Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies,
the University of Tokyo

I believe that combining OMRON’s OT, which promotes the collection and utilization of manufacturing site data, and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS’s IT, which enables high-speed and secure connection to dataspaces, will lead to solutions that accelerate the social implementation of international dataspaces. The two companies have indeed realized the “box with a connector that connects to dataspaces” that we have been seeking.

Using international dataspaces that incorporate such solutions, we can conduct joint research with companies and research institutions, aiming to swiftly commercialize the ecosystem and its various constituent solutions. Furthermore, we will utilize international exchanges such as Hannover Messe, to promote the integration with Manufacturing-X and strengthen our international initiatives. Our efforts and results will be exhibited in a showroom on the University of Tokyo campus.

[Related information]

NTT Com and OMRON Jointly Develop Solutions to Accelerate the Manufacturing Coexistent with the Global Environment
(September 28, 2022)
https://www.omron.com/jp/ja/news/2022/09/c0928.html