PLCopen

PLCopen is an independent worldwide association providing efficiency in industrial automation based on the needs of users.

Software plays an ever increasing role in industrial automation. This results in a software cost increase, even to the point that it becomes the highest part of the total system. To control these costs, one needs higher efficiency during the application development, while increasing the software quality.
PLCopen consistently improves efficiency. PLCopen and its members have concentrated on technical specifications around the IEC 61131-3 standard in order to reduce costs in industrial engineering. This resulted for example in standardized libraries for different application fields, harmonized language conformity levels and engineering interfaces for exchange and transparent communication. The scope will broaden as additional standards and extensions to the standards are developed. This is accomplished by providing information, training, and fostering communications between users, vendors, educators and other people involved in industrial control software.