Manufacturing systems often rely on programmable logic controllers and assorted intelligent devices to support the production process. The issue of maintaining the correct level of application logic in these devices is critical when controlling scrap and minimizing parts rework. Version control is a key concept in solving this problem.

mqPCX for IBM WebSphere MQ provides an ideal solution to these problems by providing an information pipeline between production and business systems. mqPCX utilizes WebSphere MQ middleware (formerly IBM MQ Series) and XML message standards. By using XML messages, mqPCX insulates information system providers from having to continuously change complex, customized interfaces between the production floor and business systems.

mqPCX allows you to extend your current plant floor data to MES, ERP, and legacy information systems in a coexistent manner without interfering with your current plant floor HMI/SCADA systems. Using IBM WebSphere MQ, mqPCX provides a bidirectional, transaction oriented data channel between plant floor and business systems on any WebSphere MQ supported platform (Windows, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, IBM OS/390, IBM OS/400, and Linux). mqPCX presents production floor information in standard XML messages which can be directly delivered to your current installed business systems and browser technologies.

Existing HMI/SCADA systems use PC based systems to collect raw data and store it into a database to support periodic reporting and decision making. This information is the responsibility of the plant floor IT specialists who are typically focused on providing process visualization to operators for machine operation. Business related information access is most often an afterthought. Typically, the IT specialist implementing an HMI/SCADA solution summarizes production data into a database for uploading to the business systems. It is not uncommon for this data to be transferred as files in batch mode. mqPCX
provides a direct, coexistent, real-time, bidirectional linkage between the plant-floor execution devices, controls and enterprise business systems.

mqPCX Benefits and Advantages:

• Available on Windows, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, and Linux platforms
• Based on XML standards
• High speed, low CPU and memory utilization performance
• Highly integrated with IBM WebSphere MQ (MQ Series)
• Message integrity and guaranteed delivery
• Highly scalable
• Lowers total ownership cost by replacing numerous PCs providing data
  collection with a single larger server
• Reduces time and transaction costs when used to extend enterprise network to
  suppliers, trading partners and customers
• Efficient high performance multi threaded implementation
• Easy integration with Java via JMS and IBM WebSphere
• User-exit support to allow customized post-processing of device data