Coalition for Open Process Automation
COPA brings end users, system integrators, and technology providers together around the O-PAS standard along with lighthouse deployments, a certified partner ecosystem, and architecture you can defend to a buying committee five years from now.
The Coalition for Open Process Automation (COPA) exists to accelerate adoption of open, secure, and interoperable process control in operating plants, not pilot labs.
Standards define what is possible. Deployments prove what works. COPA sits between the two: a neutral coalition that connects end-user requirements, certified integrator delivery, and conformant technology so multi-vendor architectures are committee-defensible, not vendor-dependent.
By aligning to the O-PAS reference architecture, COPA gives organizations a path out of proprietary lock-in with proof, partners, and standards context behind the decision.
Multi-vendor interoperability through O-PAS, not a single supplier roadmap.
Technology providers and system integrators vetted for open automation delivery.
Lighthouse projects and field deployments, including safety-critical environments.
End users, SIs, and vendors working from shared reference architecture and deployment experience.
COPA is a trade coalition, not a single vendor product line. Governance reflects who builds, who delivers, and who operates open automation in the field.
COPA advances adoption of the O-PAS reference architecture governed by The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum. COPA complements standards work with deployment context, ecosystem coordination, and field-validated products.
Direction reflects end-user operational requirements alongside integrator delivery experience and technology provider capability. The coalition is built for consensus across stakeholders, not for one company go-to-market calendar.
Membership connects to what ships: conformant control hardware, a certified partner directory, editorial resources on architecture, security, and TCO, and documented lighthouse outcomes.
Open process automation is a multi-stakeholder shift. How you participate in COPA depends on whether you operate plants, deliver systems, or build the technology that goes into them.
Owner-operators, plant leadership, and capital project teams. Coalition voice, committee-ready proof, qualified ecosystem access, and migration context on brownfield paths, security, TCO, and O-PAS scope.
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Firms delivering O-PAS-based control for process and batch industries. Partner directory presence, certification context, access to conformant platforms including COPA 500, and proposal support with field proof.
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Vendors building O-PAS-conformant control, networking, and software products. Ecosystem participation, conformance visibility, certified SI connections, and deployment feedback from lighthouse outcomes.
Apply to be a partner →Two lighthouse projects validated O-PAS in production environments. The COPA 500 deployment at Texas A&M Nuclear Engineering demonstrated AI-assisted control without compromising safety rigor, the first O-PAS certified nuclear control deployment of its kind.
From Lighthouse to Standard PracticeTexas A&M Case Study1st
O-PAS certified nuclear control deployment (Texas A&M)
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Lighthouse projects validating O-PAS in production
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Technology and SI partners in the COPA ecosystem
Across all membership paths, COPA connects standards context to what deploys in the field. These are the programs and assets members draw on whether you operate, integrate, or build.
A production-ready, O-PAS-aligned control platform for open process automation, including the COPA 500 validated in safety-critical deployment.
Explore COPA 500
Fifteen-plus technology providers and system integrators across process control vendors, leading SIs, OPA specialists, and system management.
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Architecture, cybersecurity, TCO and lifecycle economics, ecosystem innovation, and buying-committee reality for engineers, managers, and executives evaluating open automation.
Browse resources
Lighthouse projects that validated O-PAS in production, including the first O-PAS certified nuclear control deployment at Texas A&M Nuclear Engineering.
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