GE aims for simpler, cheaper 'industrial internet'

A new platform for the industrial internet is designed to help users make the most of machine-to-machine connections and the digital workforce.

GE’s PACSystems RXi is a control and computing platform (“PAC” stands for “programmable automation controller”) based on open standards. According to GE, it offers companies a simpler, cheaper and more flexible way to implement automation systems and factory floor computing.

“This platform supports several trends in the industry including control sustainability, standards-based open architectures, computing and control at the machine level, and integration into the industrial internet,” said Steve Pavlosky, product general manager for GE Intelligent Platforms’ control and communication systems. “Customers expect their manufacturing assets to outlast the control system. This new way of developing a control platform allows them to maintain their investment while taking advantage of the newest technologies to make their assets more productive, more reliable and more cost efficient.”

The new PAC system will also be “supported by an emerging ecosystem of cloud-based support tools,” according to GE.