TÜV SÜD Offers Interoperability Tests - What comes next?

The UCAIUG (UCA International Users Group) has issued 800 Certificates for IEC 61850 devices and tools. Congratulation for the success.

The global market has accepted the new technology standardized since 1995! No question!

In multi vendor projects quite often devices from different manufacturers or from different device firmware versions show interoperability issues. Device A and B may conform to the standard series - but device A may support options that are not supported by device B. This ends up in interoperability problems ... discussions and frustrations.

It is highly recommended that devices used in a multi vendor project are tested for interoperability! Interoperability tests are usually organized by users, e.g., big utilities. The UCAIUG organizes interoperability tests every second yer - far away from being sufficient! The next one is planned for being conducted in New Orleans (USA) in November. It requires a lot of resources to go there ... I guess European utilities may send very few experts only ... and small vendors are likely not travelling across the Atlantic.

So, what to do? I have recommended early to TÜV SÜD to offer interoperability test services.

TÜV SÜD (Munich, Germany) is offering interoperability test ... contact them to figure out how your device can interoperate with other devices.


Interoperable components save time and money during integration into complex systems - and help to reduce frustrations when struggling with implemented or not implemented options, with different interpretations by vendors, ...

And note this: Traveling to Munich (Germany) is easier and cheaper than flying around the globe!

Partners in the industrial automation domain have learned that interoperability (for easier integration) is a crucial means to save a lot of resources ... they are partnering:

Open Integration Partner program for practical testing of multi-vendor automation topologies

Endress + Hauser is proposing the following: “Open Integration validates the interplay of all products in a reference topology by mutual integration tests.” in a permanent lab environment.

I hope that some companies and organizations in the Power Industry will also implement such permanently available “LAT” (Lab Acceptance Tests) that would offer 24x7 support services to the power industry.

Maybe you are interested to discuss this with TÜV SÜD or ... or myself. Please feel free to contact me.

Thanks to TÜV SÜD to offer the interoperability test services. I look forward to see more in the near future - the whole energy market would appreciate it.