This allows the application developer to take advantage of the continuing enhancements in hardware and software available with open architecture products. To develop a new controller, the user concatenates a sequence of APIs to accomplish the desired control functions associated with the product. While the software interfaces are defined, it is up to each controller vendor to decide precisely how to implement the API set. When the API set is implemented, the software developed for one manufacturer's controller will run on any compliant controller. This promotes the evolution from proprietary architectures to open architecture controllers, along with the expected economic benefits.
Competitive pressure demands reducing the time to market for all products.
Consequently, the industrial equipment supplier is the most immediate beneficiary of this technology because one will be able to develop controllers faster and accelerate a product's introduction to the marketplace. This approach results in the software being complete ahead of the hardware design and significantly reduces the hardware and software integration cycle. In addition, the equipment supplier can take advantage of the PC price curve to continually reduce controller costs without affecting previously developed software. The end user of production equipment will also see benefits with an open architecture controller. Using a common API, programs become independent of the individual mechanisms on which they are run.