Softwr

Manufacturing · head to head

ABB 800xA vs SKF Enlight Centre

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
SKF Enlight Centre logo

SKF Enlight Centre

Manufacturing

Asset-based machine health monitoring platform from SKF, tying wireless sensors, route collection and remote diagnostics together

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.; SKF Enlight Centre no pricing is published for the software, the sensors, the gateways or the remote diagnostic services, so the total cost of a deployment only emerges after a site survey and a quotation.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, SKF Enlight Centre covers Asset-based interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB 800xA and SKF Enlight Centre actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB 800xA and SKF Enlight Centre differ
AttributeABB 800xASKF Enlight Centre
PlatformsWindowsWeb, iOS, Android

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 SKF Enlight Centre

  • Asset-based interface
  • Enlight Collect IMx-1
  • Enlight ProCollect
  • Remote diagnostic services
  • Marine deployment
  • Root cause tooling
  • Dashboards
  • Hazardous area sensing

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 SKF Enlight Centre
  • A pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplacenot SKF Enlight Centre
  • A mining operation that needs SIL 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety systemnot SKF Enlight Centre
  • A marine or offshore platform where ABB already supplies the electrical distribution and IEC 61850 integration removes a second systemnot SKF Enlight Centre

SKF Enlight Centre

  • A shipowner monitoring auxiliary engines, purifiers and pumps across a fleet without a vibration analyst on each vesselnot ABB 800xA
  • A plant already standardised on SKF bearings that wants failure-mode diagnosis from the bearing manufacturernot ABB 800xA
  • An operator replacing paper-based handheld routes with ProCollect while keeping the same measurement pointsnot ABB 800xA
  • A site in a hazardous classified area needing certified wireless sensing rather than manual data collectionnot 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.

SKF Enlight Centre

  • No pricing is published for the software, the sensors, the gateways or the remote diagnostic services, so the total cost of a deployment only emerges after a site survey and a quotation.
  • The platform is built for SKF sensing hardware, so third-party sensors are poorly served and you are effectively committing to SKF for the life of the installation.
  • Remote diagnostic services are a separate ongoing contract, and without them the platform gives you data rather than verdicts, which most buyers of Enlight Centre do not have the staff to interpret.
  • SKF has run overlapping condition monitoring products including @ptitude Observer and Enlight AI, and the boundaries between them have shifted over time, which makes long-term product roadmap commitments hard to read.
  • Battery-powered wireless sensors on shipboard or high-vibration installations need periodic replacement, and that maintenance burden falls on crews who were the reason you automated collection in the first place.

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

SKF Enlight Centre

On request
  • SKF Enlight Centre$undefined/year
    • Software subscription quoted per site or per vessel
    • Enlight Collect IMx-1 sensors and gateways purchased separately
    • SKF remote diagnostic services contracted per asset or per fleet

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 SKF Enlight Centre if

  • You need asset-based interface.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want enlight collect imx-1.
SKF Enlight Centre review

Questions people ask

Is ABB 800xA or SKF Enlight Centre better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB 800xA starts at On request and SKF Enlight Centre at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB 800xA or SKF Enlight Centre?
ABB 800xA starts at On request and SKF Enlight Centre at On request.
Does ABB 800xA or SKF Enlight Centre run on more platforms?
ABB 800xA runs on Windows. SKF Enlight Centre runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 SKF Enlight Centre is typically brought in for.
What can ABB 800xA do that SKF Enlight Centre cannot?
ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, AC 800M controllers, Connectivity servers, Safety integration. SKF Enlight Centre covers Asset-based interface, Enlight Collect IMx-1, Enlight ProCollect, Remote diagnostic services.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Is Enlight Centre a single product or a family?

SKF Enlight is a family. Enlight Centre is the web software; Enlight Collect IMx-1 is the wireless sensing hardware and Enlight AI is a separate analytics product.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Can I use non-SKF sensors?

Not meaningfully. The platform is designed around SKF sensing hardware and SKF service delivery.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Does SKF analyse the data for me?

Only under a remote diagnostic services contract with an SKF Rotating Equipment Performance Centre, priced separately.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Is it suitable for ships?

Yes, marine is one of its primary segments and it is designed for intermittent satellite connectivity.

Share

Related pages

More on ABB 800xA

More on SKF Enlight Centre

Keep looking

Other head to heads