BMW names B&R exclusive panel supplier
Staff -- Control Engineering, 6/1/2006
Atlanta, GA—BMW AG has named B&R Industrial Automation Corp. exclusive supplier of Microsoft Windows CE-based operator panels. Within the framework of the agreement, B&R is to supply panel PCs from its Power Panel series to BMW's international production sites and system partners until at least 2013.
"Cooperation between the two companies has evolved extremely positively during the past few decades," said Elmar Zimmerling, sales representative in charge of the project at B&R. "This agreement signals an expansion of our partnership and involves us in pioneering projects being undertaken at BMW. We will be supporting BMW with the implementation of company-wide standards."
BMW experts extensively evaluated their alternatives. Technical criteria examined included support for the Windows CE and CE.Net operating systems, as well as suitability for harsh environmental factors such as electromagnetic compatibility (EN 61000-6-2), shock (IEC 60068-2-27), and vibration (IEC 60068-2-6). In addition, BMW placed high value on extensive support for established interfaces, as well as on standards like Ethernet. Another requirement was the availability of a wide product spectrum—a criterion covered by B&R's range of 5 to 15-in. diagonal displays (with touchscreens), said Zimmerling.
After viewing the system and assessing the price/performance ratio, BMW recommended B&R to be the exclusive supplier of CE-based operator stations. BMW will use the Power Panel product family in conjunction with SCADA software from CopaData. According to B&R, BMW expects company-wide use of this hardware/software combination to reduce maintenance and service expenses, warehousing costs, and training times.
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