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Manufacturing · head to head

ABB 800xA vs Oden Technologies

ABB 800xA logo

ABB 800xA

Manufacturing

Distributed control system and process automation platform for continuous and hybrid process plants

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Oden Technologies logo

Oden Technologies

Manufacturing

Process analytics for continuous production, strongest in plastics extrusion and moulding

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ABB 800xA licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.; Oden Technologies the depth is in plastics and continuous processing, so a discrete job shop with short runs and frequent changeovers does not generate the repetition the analysis needs and will get little from it.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, Oden Technologies covers High frequency data collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB 800xA and Oden Technologies actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB 800xA and Oden Technologies differ
AttributeABB 800xAOden Technologies
PlatformsWindowsWeb, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABB 800xA

  • Extended Automation
  • AC 800M controllers
  • Connectivity servers
  • Safety integration
  • IEC 61850 electrical
  • Batch management
  • Information management
  • Asset optimisation

Only in Oden Technologies

  • High frequency data collection
  • Reference run analysis
  • Scrap and yield analytics
  • Line and plant dashboards
  • PLC and historian connectivity
  • Alerting on process drift

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABB 800xA

  • A refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in placenot Oden Technologies
  • A pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplacenot Oden Technologies
  • A mining operation that needs SIL 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety systemnot Oden Technologies
  • A marine or offshore platform where ABB already supplies the electrical distribution and IEC 61850 integration removes a second systemnot Oden Technologies

Oden Technologies

  • A plastics extrusion plant losing material to scrap when settings drift between shifts and operatorsnot ABB 800xA
  • A moulder that wants to know which parameter combination produced its best historical run of a given partnot ABB 800xA
  • A continuous processor whose historian holds years of data that nobody has turned into operating guidancenot ABB 800xA
  • A multi site group wanting comparable line performance figures across plants that currently report differentlynot ABB 800xA

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABB 800xA

  • Licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.
  • Engineering and commissioning typically cost more than the software and controller hardware together, and that share is not visible in the initial ABB quotation, which prices the system rather than the project.
  • It is Windows only for servers and workplaces, so the operating system lifecycle drives forced upgrade cycles that have nothing to do with your process.
  • Once configured, the aspect object model and the specific integrator conventions used make handing the system to a different service provider expensive; ABB service contracts are effectively sticky.
  • Software maintenance is an annual contract on top of the licence and lapsing it means you cannot take version upgrades, so the system quietly ages out of security support if the plant skips renewals to save money.

Oden Technologies

  • The depth is in plastics and continuous processing, so a discrete job shop with short runs and frequent changeovers does not generate the repetition the analysis needs and will get little from it.
  • It depends on fast process data from PLCs or a historian, so a plant with older machines that have no controller data must pay for instrumentation before the software does anything, which is the opposite of a low friction rollout.
  • Realising the benefit requires process engineers who can act on the findings, and a plant without that capability ends up with analysis nobody converts into standard operating conditions.
  • Pricing is per line and not published, so a plant with many small lines pays in proportion to line count rather than to output value, and the economics favour fewer high value lines.
  • It overlaps with historian and SCADA investments a plant may already have, and buyers frequently have to justify why an existing AVEVA or Ignition estate cannot be made to do a version of the same job.

Pricing, plan by plan

ABB 800xA

On request
  • ABB Ability System 800xA$undefined/year
    • Licensed by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients
    • Sold as a project through ABB or a certified partner
    • Annual software maintenance contract priced separately

Oden Technologies

On request
  • Oden$undefined/year
    • Per line data collection and analytics
    • Reference run and yield analysis
    • Connectivity to PLCs and historians

Which should you pick?

Choose ABB 800xA if

  • You need extended automation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want ac 800m controllers.
ABB 800xA review

Choose Oden Technologies if

  • You need high frequency data collection.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want reference run analysis.
Oden Technologies review

Questions people ask

Is ABB 800xA or Oden Technologies better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB 800xA starts at On request and Oden Technologies at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB 800xA or Oden Technologies?
ABB 800xA starts at On request and Oden Technologies at On request.
Does ABB 800xA or Oden Technologies run on more platforms?
ABB 800xA runs on Windows. Oden Technologies runs on Web, API.
What is ABB 800xA best used for?
ABB 800xA is most often used for a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place, a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace, a mining operation that needs sil 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety system, a marine or offshore platform where abb already supplies the electrical distribution and iec 61850 integration removes a second system. Of those, a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place and a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace are not what Oden Technologies is typically brought in for.
What can ABB 800xA do that Oden Technologies cannot?
ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, AC 800M controllers, Connectivity servers, Safety integration. Oden Technologies covers High frequency data collection, Reference run analysis, Scrap and yield analytics, Line and plant dashboards.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ABB 800xA: Is 800xA sold as a perpetual licence?

Yes, the system licence is perpetual, but a separate annual software maintenance agreement is required to receive updates and version upgrades.

Oden Technologies: Is it suitable for a machine shop?

Not really. It is built for continuous and repetitive high volume processes, not short run discrete machining.

ABB 800xA: Can 800xA control non-ABB field hardware?

Yes. Connectivity servers front third-party PLC and DCS systems and legacy ABB families, which is the main reason it wins brownfield projects.

Oden Technologies: Does it need a historian?

No, it can collect directly from PLCs, but it will read from an existing historian where one is present.

ABB 800xA: Does it replace a separate electrical SCADA?

It can. IEC 61850 substation integration is native, so many plants drop a separate electrical monitoring system.

Oden Technologies: What is the main measurable outcome?

Scrap reduction and throughput improvement on repeated products, rather than labour savings.

ABB 800xA: What is the realistic implementation timeline?

A full plant migration is measured in years, not months; phased cutovers of one unit at a time are the norm.

Oden Technologies: Will it work on machines without PLC data?

No. Those machines need instrumenting first, and that cost belongs in the business case.

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