The United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR) announced a new standard for “Industrial Data Communication for Automotive Manufacturing.” The new data standard, SAE/USCAR-53, establishes a common methodology for data communication, machine language, and reporting to and from manufacturing devices in the automotive production or Smart Manufacturing environment.

The overarching goal of the USCAR working group that developed the standard was to unlock data in isolated systems and enable data sharing and interoperability between existing brownfield and new greenfield components, sub-systems and applications within and across the automotive industry.

Smart Manufacturing requires a high degree of automation and integration of systems on the shop floor. Interoperability and extensibility of these machines not only increases capability, but optimizes performance, and increases both cost efficient operation and return on investment. However, the existing systems, evolved over decades, are closed and highly proprietary resulting in a landscape of incompatible machine communications. These incompatible systems often create costly delays and complexities in product launches for automotive companies.

By defining the standard for industrial data communication, the team at USCAR takes a critical next step to accelerate both the value and the implementation of Smart Manufacturing industry wide, and demonstrates the power of USCAR collaboration. Not only will this common industrial data communication standard reduce complexity and production cost for our Members, but it will potentially benefit material, component, systems and equipment suppliers as well.

—Steve Przesmitzki, executive director of USCAR

Going forward, USCAR’s Industrial Data Communication Team will provide communication and training for USCAR-53. Additional information will be posted once available at uscar.org/uscar53/.