Differences between industrial apps and industrial software
Industrial apps represent a new form of industrial software development, often operating as microservices on industrial internet platforms. They provide diverse services tailored to the specific needs of different industrial scenarios, thus ushering in a new phase for industrial software. In the future, more industrial apps will transcend the limitations of a single department, enterprise, or organization, offering public services through industrial internet platforms in various business models.
Industrial apps and industrial software both fall under the category of industrial applications. From a general development perspective, industrial apps represent a new form of industrial software development. However, this does not mean there are no differences between industrial apps and industrial software; at least at this stage, significant differences still exist.
What is the difference between industrial apps and industrial software? To understand this, we can analyze it from the perspective of industrial product modeling and from the two different categories of research and development planning and manufacturing, and management and operation and maintenance.
The reason for analyzing it in the two categories of R&D planning and manufacturing, and management and operation is that among the four major types of models in the industrial field, target models and mechanism models are mainly used in the R&D planning and manufacturing stages, while data modeling and process modeling are used more in the management and operation stages.
At that stage, industrial apps differed from industrial software in the research, planning, and production stages; while in the management and maintenance stages, industrial apps and industrial software were similar in function, they still differed significantly in terms of purpose, development entities, and scale.
(1) There are significant differences between industrial APPs and industrial software in the research, planning and production scope.
First, there is a significant gap between industrial apps and industrial software in terms of product development modeling. Industrial apps require precise descriptions of product objectives, necessitating multi-disciplinary and multi-domain modeling engines and support from domain-specific knowledge.
In the realm of product development, different modeling expressions are involved at the logical and physical levels. At the physical level, different professional fields such as structure, electronics, electromagnetics, software, control, optics, and fluid dynamics are involved, as well as processes in manufacturing such as milling, planing, grinding, boring, heating, surface treatment, casting, forging, and welding. Each professional modeling engine is completely different. Even within the structural field, there are different geometric modeling engines, each involving extensive mathematical and physical foundational research—a culmination of national-level fundamental research, beyond the capabilities of any single industrial application. Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect every industrial application to have its own domain modeling (not data modeling) engine; this is simply beyond the capabilities of any single industrial application. How to address this issue? In practice, industrial software provides the domain modeling engine, and the industrial application drives the industrial software's modeling engine to complete the domain modeling. Therefore, we say that only when the industrial internet platform, as an industrial operating system, can provide these modeling engines to industrial applications can industrial software truly develop into the new form of industrial applications. At this stage, fundamental differences still exist.
Secondly, never fantasize about using industrial apps to complete the design of an industrial product. Industrial apps are structured and formalized expressions and applications of relatively fixed knowledge. The development of any "new" product (note that the word "new" here indicates the product's innovation) fundamentally follows the design principle of "70% reuse + 20% modification + 10% innovation." Most industrial apps express 70% of the industrial technical knowledge in product development and describe a portion of that 20%. If a product is developed entirely using industrial apps, then this product, apart from the integrated innovation, will inevitably lack core technological innovation. So how do we achieve the 10% innovation in product development? We rely on industrial software, using the most basic points, lines, surfaces, volumes, and logical relationships in its modeling engine to express the 10% of innovation in product development.
(2) In the scope of management and maintenance, industrial software is similar to industrial APP in terms of functionality, but there are significant differences in other aspects.
At that time, most industrial internet platform companies focused on developing industrial apps (mainly data-driven models) in the areas of operation and maintenance (O&M). This involved data modeling based on an understanding of industrial problems and data analysis. This was a relatively simple mathematical expression, and such data modeling could be completed within a single industrial app. Because there was no fundamental difference between industrial apps and industrial software in terms of modeling, in the areas of management and O&M, the combination of multiple industrial apps essentially functioned the same as traditional industrial software. In this case, industrial software could be considered functionally a combination of a series of industrial apps. However, in other aspects, there are still significant differences between industrial software and industrial apps. For details, please refer to the section "Differences between Industrial Apps and Expert Systems".
Here, we will mainly differentiate between the two from the perspectives of modeling and innovation, and also from the aspects of product development and management/maintenance. In the product development stage, industrial apps are significantly different from industrial software; in the management and maintenance stage, industrial software can be seen as a combination of a series of industrial apps in terms of functionality.
(3) Industrial Apps and Industrial Operating Systems
As industrial internet platforms mature, future platforms will likely provide comprehensive modeling engines—whether for R&D, manufacturing, operations, or management—all through these platforms. All apps will utilize these platform-provided industrial modeling engines to complete modeling tasks, with industrial apps simply encapsulating industrial technical knowledge and applications. In this scenario, the industrial internet platform will become an industrial operating system. However, providing industrial modeling engines through the platform doesn't mean all models will be provided by the platform itself. Instead, it means connecting various professional industrial software adapters to the platform, providing them as modeling engine resources for industrial apps to use.
Most domestic industrial internet platforms currently aspire to become industrial operating systems in a specific field. However, without a robust industrial modeling engine for that field, building such a platform into an industrial operating system is essentially empty talk. In this sense, due to my country's long-term neglect of industrial software and lack of investment in research on industrial modeling engines, Chinese industrial internet platforms have already lost at the starting line from the very beginning, considering the entire product lifecycle. Traditional PLM vendors, on the other hand, possess a natural technological advantage due to their solid industrial modeling foundation.
As industrial operating systems mature, the modeling support provided by current industrial software will be increasingly integrated into these systems, becoming a resource for managing and optimizing their requirements. Socialized industrial apps will run on these operating systems to accomplish various applications.
(4) Cloud-based industrial software should not be simply regarded as industrial APP.
It is no longer appropriate to categorize industrial apps as industrial software, nor can we simply regard the cloudification of industrial software as industrial apps.
Interestingly, many domestic industrial internet platforms are now deploying various management software such as OA (Office Automation), financial management software, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) on the cloud, claiming to have numerous industrial apps. This is essentially just a change in deployment method and operational model. To put it simply, if you deploy Word in the cloud, does that solve the problem of writing a good article? If you deploy financial software in the cloud, will you be able to manage finances effectively?
Industrial apps aim to accumulate various industrial skills and knowledge, transform these skills and knowledge into industrial applications, and help us complete our work better and more efficiently.
The cloudification of industrial software has not changed the essence of industrial software, so it cannot be said that industrial software becomes an industrial APP after being cloudified.
To more clearly illustrate the differences between industrial apps and industrial software, we will now discuss these differences from different perspectives.
The purpose of developing industrial apps is to accumulate and preserve industrial skills and knowledge. Industrial apps are essentially carriers of industrial skills, knowledge, experience, and rules.
Industrial apps refer to application software that utilizes industrial internet channels and broad application terminals, carries industrial skills knowledge and experience, and meets the specific needs of industrial users. They play an important role in the softwareization of industrial skills.
Industrial apps address the needs of all aspects of the industrial product lifecycle (planning, production, experimentation, application, assurance, transaction, service, etc.). They encapsulate the knowledge, best practices, and technical skills in the industrial product and related technological processes into application software. They represent the modeling, modularization, standardization, and software-based transformation of industrial technical knowledge and skills, effectively promoting the explicitness, public accessibility, organization, and systematization of knowledge, and greatly facilitating the application and reuse of knowledge.
Compared to traditional industrial software, industrial apps are characterized by lightweight design, customization, specialization, flexibility, reusability, and decoupling from the original host. Users can be quickly empowered by reusing industrial apps, machines can be rapidly optimized by reusing them, and industrial enterprises can optimize the allocation of manufacturing resources by reusing them, thereby creating and maintaining a competitive advantage.
The relationship between industrial apps and industrial software is similar to the relationship between common sense and things; industrial apps are common sense, and industrial software is things.
Industrial apps are neither ordinary industrial software nor cloud-based industrial software. They have different intentions, are substantially different, and their development entities and modeling capabilities also differ significantly.
Industrial apps typically possess "common sense" attributes, while industrial software exhibits a significant "tool" attribute. Tools can improve efficiency but cannot guarantee the quality of results, while the combination of common sense and tools can both improve efficiency and promote better outcomes. Therefore, although industrial apps and industrial software differ significantly, industrial apps often need to be used in conjunction with industrial software to achieve better results in practice.
