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Product category: Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Kuka Controls | Subject: CeWin and VxWin
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 30 November 2004

RTOS extensions find
industrial automation niche

Kuka Controls has identified industrial automation as one of the most promising market segments for its real-time operating system enhancement products - CeWin and VxWin

The company predicts an addressable market of up to 2.2 million software licences in this exciting field. But according to the company, even this substantial estimate may prove to be too conservative. Although research from Venture Development Corp (VDC) suggests that 17.4 million Intel x86-based single board computers will be sold in 2004 alone, it is also projecting a 12.1% annual increase in worldwide demand for such systems.

This means, if Kuka were to concentrate its energy solely on the subset of those applications that require sophisticated graphical capabilities, easily 2.2 million systems would remain ideal candidates for the company's technology.

Working the industrial automation industry in accord with this prognosis has borne fruit.

The company has already placed its products with many firms whose profiles match the profile.

Among the best-known companies that have joined Kuka's family of industrial automation customers are: Schneider Automation, Elau, Bernecker + Rainer, Bosch Rexroth and Phoenix Contact.

Within the field of industrial automation, Kuka Controls sees additional corroboration for the accuracy of its predictions in the observed demand for real-time platforms for a host of other applications; these include systems to perform measurement, test, monitoring and process control.

Applications of this sort nearly always require sophisticated graphical display capabilities and system interconnectivity.

Although a few competitors may offer systems with graphics capabilities, Kuka reckons none can offer such comprehensive solutions for both graphics and system interconnectivity.

The reason for this is that Kuka's solutions are based on standard software packages from Microsoft and Wind River, whose products inherently provide complete graphical and interconnectivity technology.

And now, thanks to NET technology from Microsoft, Kuka's solution not only meets but often exceeds customers' demands for web-based connectivity.

Real-time extension technology from Kuka Controls gives the company a significant competitive edge.

Kuka's real-time extension is an ingeniously conceived system that makes it possible to run either Windows CE or VxWorks in background mode on a PC while Windows XP simultaneously runs in the foreground.

At the same time customers' deterministic needs are smartly met by the choice of real-time operating system, Windows XP stands ready to provide conventional computing power for everything else, including a host of I/O possibilities from graphical displays to mass storage to Ethernet and web connectivity.

The operating systems are uncompromised systems, standard software, just as delivered by their respective manufacturers.

The power and dependability of Kuka's innovative software system is tried, tested and proven.

For years the software has been providing computing power for tough industrial-control applications.

In fact, this software is at the heart of the control systems of over 50,000 Kuka Roboter industrial robots, complex machines that perform their work reliably, uninterrupted, in challenging physical and electrical environments, over long periods of time.

In addition, the company has fortified its competitive advantages by entering into formal co-operative partnerships with Microsoft Corp and Wind River Systems, each the foremost enterprise in its respective field.

'Not only do we now see increased demand for our products in local markets', explained Gerd Lammers, Director of Marketing and Sales at Kuka Controls, 'but we have recently extended and strengthened our company's presence in the Asian and American marketplaces'.

'To advance our goal of becoming the leading supplier of this kind of software extension technology, we have established relationships with companies that not only give customers the logistical help they need but that also provide highly-qualified technical support'.

'We only choose partner firms that have the technical expertise to support our customers in every phase of their projects'.

'No matter where customers are located, every Kuka Controls' customer knows that an investment in Kuka's products is a secure investment'.

CeWin and VxWin distinguish themselves from competing products by offering users the advantages of open development and target systems; by enabling users to take full and unrestricted advantage of the world's leading operating systems from Microsoft and Wind River; and by providing compatibility with widely available and familiar development tools and third-party software packages.

Because Kuka real-time software technology integrates standard operating systems, customers can be certain of receiving professional maintenance and support while continuously enjoying compatibility with future versions of Windows XP, Windows CE and VxWorks.

Using real-time extension technology from Kuka Controls garners many advantages.

The use of standard software systems implies that customers can develop their applications with a variety of familiar software tools and run-time utilities.

Beyond that, the use of standard software products assures compatibility to future software versions and innovative new products.

Because both operating systems are hosted on a single standard PC, hardware requirements for the real-time and background portions of the system are kept to a minimum.

This means that users' end products can be reduced in size, weight and cost.

And because of a reduced component count, the calculated mean time between failure (MTBF) automatically increases.

These and other advantages contribute much to putting customers far ahead of their competitors and keeping them there.

In the field of industrial automation it is not in the least unusual for a product to remain in service for ten years or more after its initial installation.

For this reason, a long product lifetime represents a serious obstacle for Kuka's competitors.

How can one convince a serious customer that a young product that depends to a degree on proprietary software will be maintained and developed further during a period of time that spans decades?.

Kuka Controls, on the other hand, does not have this problem because its products and future-oriented business are closely bound to co-operative partnerships with Wind River Systems and Microsoft Corp, both the dominant players in their respective businesses.

The fact that Kuka Controls has coupled its real-time technology to these companies' products suggests that all three companies will be occupying positions at the leading edge of their fields for a long time to come.

Because Microsoft recently announced an intensification of its activities in industrial automation, medical technology and test and measurement, equipment manufacturers active in these areas will not have to worry about the long-term safety of their investments.

As for the corporate stability of Kuka Controls: the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuka Roboter and a member concern of IWKA, whose sales in 2003 amounted to a respectable Eur 2.3 billion.

Kuka Controls real-time experts are dedicated to creating products that harmonise with the needs of the Industrial Controls market.

When customers acquire products from Kuka Controls, they can be certain of getting high-quality, state-of-the-art products, backed up by excellent technical support and service.

In developing their real-time enhancement software technology, Kuka Controls' engineers and programmers continuously use their creative energy and expert knowledge to attain two major goals: For one, the company is determined to advance the characteristics and capabilities of its real-time software to such an extent that Kuka Roboter, the parent company, can apply the software technology to facilitate the development of faster and more efficient industrial robots - machines that are easier to operate and possess unbeatable competitive features.

The other goal is to supply their technology on a commercial basis to equipment manufacturers around the world.

Kuka Controls is determined to become the world's leading supplier of real-time software for the Windows execution environment.

And the company has made significant moves toward reaching that goal.

In recent months, Kuka Controls has established a comprehensive distribution network, covering most important markets in Europe, Asia and the USA.

But the company has been selective in choosing partner firms.

It feels it is critical to only do business with distributors that have highly qualified engineers and technicians.

To become a vendor for Kuka Controls, a company must be able to locally provide both consulting services and technical support.

In each world market, a customer should expect to be able to obtain as much help as they desire, from first concepts to finished products.

To support its distributors, Kuka Controls actively seeks opportunities for joint marketing, including advertising campaigns that feature in-market promotions and information-disseminating activities.

The company engages in worldwide PR campaigns and exploits the benefits of the worldwide web to facilitate localised access to its technology.

Additionally, it has set up training programmes for distributors and participated jointly in local seminars and tradeshows.

No means for heightening the company's visibility in important world markets has been overlooked.

Within the rapidly expanding industrial automation market, there is a wide range of possible applications for CeWin and VxWin: PC-based automation; programmable logic control (PLC); numeric machine control (NC); motion control; real-time test and measurement systems - just to name a few.

But the spectrum of suitable applications for CeWin and VxWin is not limited to just those.

Other suitable market segments are, for example: medical electronics, traffic control and routing, and an untold number of defence applications.

As unrestricted as is human imagination, Kuka Controls reckons there is no limit to the potential applications for its real-time extension software products.

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