Wonderware's Chief Technology Officer Appointed Chief Architect for OPC Foundation

Wonderware’s Chief Technology Officer Appointed Chief Architect for OPC Foundation

Wonderware, an operating unit of Invensys Systems, Inc., today announced that Chief Technology Officer Rashesh Mody has been appointed chief architect for the OPC Foundation.

In making the appointment, OPC Foundation President Thomas J. Burke said that Mody is "a technological visionary with a commanding knowledge base who can significantly contribute to the direction of OPC’s technical roadmap."

The OPC Foundation is dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation by creating and maintaining open communication of acquired process data, alarm and event records, historical data, and batch data to multi-vendor production devices.

"I’m very pleased that the OPC Foundation has appointed Rashesh as chief architect," said Mike Bradley Sr., president of the Wonderware and ArchestrA business units. "I strongly support the OPC Foundation’s mission to facilitate collaboration between leading companies in the industrial marketplace with the common goal of improving technology across the board. Plus, I must say that the OPC Foundation is very lucky to have someone with Rashesh’s brilliant mind as its chief architect. After all, he has been an essential part of the development of our groundbreaking ArchestrA software architecture, which is saving Wonderware customers around the world hours of engineering time and thousands of dollars."

OPC technology is an integral part of the ArchestrA industrial automation and information software architecture, which can be used to create industrial automation products, applications and services. The ArchestrA architecture includes an open application development environment that customers, OEMs, system integrators, third parties and other Invensys business units can use to develop efficient and competitive automation and information solutions.

"OPC technology is central to the openness and extensibility of Wonderware products," Mody said. "OPC protocols are one of the key ways that the ArchestrA software architecture enables every system in a plant to work in concert. As chief architect for the OPC Foundation, I look forward to applying the next-generation of OPC technology to the manufacturing industry."

Mody has 17 years experience in industrial automation software development. He has been involved in software development, design, project execution, technology evaluation, technical support and customer applications at Wonderware. Before becoming chief technology officer, he was responsible for designing and developing FactorySuite software components, including Wonderware’s industry-leading InTouch human-machine interface software.

Recently, Mody played an integral role in the development of the ArchestrA architecture and Wonderware’s SuiteVoyager plant information portal. Mody has a master’s degree in computer science from the Florida Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from Gujarat University in India.

About The OPC Foundation

The OPC Foundation is dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation by creating and maintaining open specifications that standardize the communication of acquired process data, alarm and event records, historical data, and batch data to multi-vendor enterprise systems and between production devices. Production devices include sensors, instruments, programmable logic controllers, remote terminal units, distributed control systems, human-machine interfaces, historians, trending subsystems, alarm subsystems, and more as used in the process industry, manufacturing, and in acquiring and transporting oil, gas, and minerals. The OPC Foundation has been able to work more quickly than many other standards groups because OPC Foundation is building on existing, computer industry standards. For more information about the OPC Foundation, visit www.opcfoundation.org.

About the Wonderware and ArchestrA Business Units

Wonderware and ArchestrA are business units of Invensys Systems, Inc. Wonderware is the world’s leading supplier of industrial automation and information software. Founded in 1987, Wonderware pioneered the use of the Microsoft Windows operating system in HMI automation software for manufacturing operation systems. Wonderware software powers intelligent plant decisions in real time. The hallmark of the ArchestrA technology is: "Every system in your plant, working in concert."

Based in Lake Forest, Calif., the Wonderware and ArchestrA business units have regional sales and development offices throughout the North American, European, Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions to provide support to its network of more than 160 distributor offices. Wonderware has approximately 300,000 software licenses in approximately 100,000 plants worldwide, which is about 30 percent of the world’s 335,000 plants with 20 or more employees. For more information, visit www.wonderware.com or www.archestra.biz.

About Invensys

Invensys is a global automation, controls and process solutions group. Products, services, expertise and ongoing support enable intelligent systems to monitor and control processes in many different environments. The businesses within Invensys help customers in a variety of industries perform with greater efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness. Industry areas of focus include hydrocarbons, chemicals, oil and gas, power and utilities, rail, telecommunications, paper, food and beverage, dairy, pharmaceuticals and personal care.

Process Systems provides products, services and solutions for the automation and optimization of plant operation in the process industries. Featuring industry-leading brands such as Foxboro, Triconex, SimSci-Esscor, Wonderware and Marcam, Process Systems occupies a top-tier position in the DCS, safety, simulation and HMI markets. Products are installed in more than 150,000 plants worldwide. Serving process and batch industries, including hydrocarbons, chemicals, power and utilities and metals and mining, and also the discrete and hybrid manufacturing sectors, Process Systems is at the forefront of technological innovation, with new award-winning technologies such as ArchestrA, Digital Coriolis and DolPhin.

Also within the Invensys Group, APV specializes in process equipment engineered into systems and asset services for food, beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical and chemical clients. Eurotherm is a leading supplier of control and measurement instrumentation solutions and services to industrial and process customers. Rail Systems is a multinational leader in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of safety-related rail signaling and control systems. Climate Controls is a major provider of the components, systems and services used globally to make commercial and residential environments safer, more comfortable and more efficient. Appliance Controls has the broadest system and component offering for the appliance industry worldwide.

The Invensys Group is headquartered in the U.K. and listed on the London Stock Exchange. With 39,000 employees operating in 60 countries, Invensys helps customers to improve their performance and profitability, building value for end users and shareholders alike.

Invensys, Wonderware; ArchestrA; FactorySuite; InTouch; SuiteVoyager; "Visualize, Analyze, Optimize"; "Every system in your plant, working in concert"; Foxboro; Marcam; Triconex; SimSci-Esscor; Digital Coriolus; DolPhin; APV; and Eurotherm are trademarks of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. All other brands, product names and service marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners.