Introduction
In today’s highly automated industrial environments, the ability to seamlessly collect, process, and integrate data from diverse machines and systems is key to achieving operational excellence. This is particularly relevant in the Food & Beverage sector, where real-time visibility, traceability, and agility are non-negotiable. That’s where the Unified Namespace (UNS) comes in.
This modern data architecture unlocks real-time plant-wide visibility by breaking down data silos and enabling seamless communication between systems. And with Barbara’s Edge Orchestration Platform, deploying a robust UNS solution has never been easier.
What is a Unfied Namespace (UNS)?
A UNS is a real-time, structured data layer built on top of protocols like MQTT and Sparkplug. It acts as the single source of truth, where data from industrial assets, no matter the vendor or protocol , is published in a standardized format. This enables enterprise-wide data visibility, making integration with SCADA, MES, BI, and AI systems a breeze.
Barbara’s platform makes deploying a UNS straightforward, even in complex industrial setups, thanks to its edge-native architecture, containerized app deployment, and built-in support for industrial protocols.
Use Case Overview: A Multi-Level Food & Beverage Architecture
In this example, we implement a UNS across a Food & Beverage company with multiple factory sites.
Let’s break down the architecture:
Levels defined
There are 3 levels:
- Enterprise Level: Central hub for business intelligence and analytics. Optionally deployed in the cloud or on-prem data center.
- Site Level: An edge node in each plant aggregates data from production lines for storage, visualization, and analytics.
- Line Level: Each production line (in this case, 2 per plant) has its own edge node connected to industrial machinery.
Machines per Production Line
In this case, we will consider the following machines in the 2 production lines of our plant.
Production Line 1:
- Dough Mixer (MX-5000): Mixes ingredients to form dough.
- Conveyor Belt (CB-200): Transfers dough through the line.
- Oven (OVN-750): Bakes products at controlled temperatures.
- Cooling Unit (CL-300): Lowers product temperature before packaging.
- Packaging Machine (PKG-400): Seals and labels finished goods.
Production Line 2:
- Liquid Mixer (LM-8000): Blends liquid ingredients for beverages.
- Pasteurizer (PST-600): Heats liquids to kill bacteria.
- Bottling System (BTL-900): Fills and caps bottles.
- Labeling Machine (LBL-500): Applies product labels.
- Palletizer (PLT-700): Stacks products for shipping.
The edge nodes located at the production lines level must gather data from all the machines defined above.
Watch the Demo: Implementing a Unified Namespace (UNS) Use Case in a Food & Beverage Plant
Data Acquisition: Parameters & Data Types
The machines in each production line generate key process data, categorized as follows:
UNS Standardized Data Structure
The UNS follows a hierarchical MQTT topic structure, ensuring organized data exchange.
- Factory/Line 1 Topics
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line1/DoughMixer_MX-5000
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line1/ConveyorBelt_CB-200
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line1/Oven_OVN-750
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line1/CoolingUnit_CL-300
- Barbara/Madrid_01/packaging/line1/PackagingMachine_PKG-400
- Factory/Line 2 Topics
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line2/LiquidMixer_LM-8000
- Barbara/Madrid_01/kitchen/line2/Pasteurizer_PST-600
- Barbara/Madrid_01/packaging/line2/BottlingSystem_BTL-900
- Barbara/Madrid_01/packaging/line2/LabellingMachine_LBL-500
- Barbara/Madrid_01/packaging/line2/Palletizer_PLT-700
Capture and publish
OPC UA publishes the following information obtained from the device MX-5000:
Sparkplug transformation
The previous information will be translated into the sparkplug standard and republish it in the broker.
The topic will be translated to the following Sparkplug mqtt topic:
spBv1.0/Barbara:Madrid_01/DDATA/kitchen:line1/DoughMixer_MX-5000
Fast & Flexible Deployment with Barbara
Barbara enables easy deployment of your UNS infrastructure through its platform. With pre-integrated open-source applications and a click-to-deploy model, you can go from zero to running in minutes.
Here’s how each level is set up:
Edge Node at Production Line 1
This edge node operates by collecting machine data, which is then transmitted to the Site Edge Node; concurrently, the data is stored locally, enabling on-site data retention; to facilitate immediate analysis and monitoring, a Grafana dashboard provides local data visualization.
Services:
- OPC UA/Modbus Connector: Reads data from the machines located at Line 1 and publish data to the local MQTT Sparkplug Broker.
- MQTT Sparkplug Broker: Ensures consistent message formatting.
- MQTT InfluxDB Ingester: Reads data from MQTT broker and stores it in the local InfluxDB database.
- InfluxDB: Temporary local storage.
- Grafana: Real-time dashboards at the line level.
Edge Node at Production Line 2
This edge node functions by initially gathering machine data, which is then stored locally for immediate access; subsequently, this collected data is also transmitted to the Site Edge Node for further processing and broader network integration.
Services:
- OPC UA/Modbus Connector: Reads data from the machines located at Line 1 and publish data to the local MQTT Sparkplug Broker.
- MQTT Sparkplug Broker: Acts as the communication backbone, also transforming the information received from the industrial machines to the Sparkplug format.
- MQTT InfluxDB Ingester: Reads data from MQTT broker and stores it in the local InfluxDB database.
- InfluxDB: Temporary local storage.
Edge Node at Site Level
This system aggregates data from all line-level nodes, enabling comprehensive cross-line analytics, and even may support advanced functionalities by hosting AI models designed for predictive tasks.
Services:
- MQTT Sparkplug Broker: Acts as the communication backbone, also transforming the information received from the industrial machines to the Sparkplug format.
Edge Node at Enterprise Level
This upper node level in a Unified Namespace (UNS) architecture facilitates centralized data aggregation and processing, acting as a crucial bridge between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems. It achieves this connectivity by utilizing MQTT to seamlessly integrate with SCADA systems, ERP platforms, or cloud-based Business Intelligence (BI) tools.
For in-depth analytics, the node incorporates InfluxDB for time-series data management and Ignition SCADA for comprehensive visualization and control, providing a robust platform for data-driven decision-making.
Services:
- MQTT Sparkplug Broker: Acts as the communication backbone, also transforming the information received from the industrial machines to the Sparkplug format.
- MQTT InfluxDB Ingester: Reads data from MQTT broker and stores it in the local database.
- InfluxDB: Local time series database.
- Ignition: Local SCADA.
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