Our Story

The Sterfive Story: Genesis and Vision for Industrial Interoperability

The journey of Sterfive begins with Etienne Rossignon, a visionary whose passion for software development and open-source technology has driven the evolution of industrial communication.

With over 25 years of experience, Etienne's career is marked by groundbreaking innovation. He invented PowerINSPECT at Delcam Plc, an award-winning, world-class metrology software. His leadership extended to highly skilled technology teams at major industrial players like Areva, Capgemini, and Hexagon AB.

While at Areva, immersed in CAD/CAM, metrology, and machine-to-machine communication, Etienne encountered OPC UA, an emerging industrial communication standard. Faced with a critical project and the need to quickly master OPC UA, he decided to build an SDK from scratch in JavaScript. This initiative served a dual purpose: to rapidly grasp the standard's intricacies and to mentor his team in modern development practices, including continuous software delivery and Test-Driven Development.

He published the first commit of this SDK, later known as Node-OPCUA, on GitHub in 2014. This act was driven by a deep passion for open-source software and a desire to make industrial communication more accessible and efficient.

Etienne's choice of Node.js and TypeScript for Node-OPCUA was revolutionary. While the automation industry was dominated by C/C++ and Java, he recognized Node.js's potential for asynchronous operations and scalability, enabling rapid development and deployment in the burgeoning field of industrial IoT.

This endeavor was more than a technical challenge; it stemmed from a profound understanding of the industry's evolving needs. Etienne foresaw that the future of industrial communication demanded a robust, open-source solution that could seamlessly bridge diverse systems and technologies. He identified a critical need for seamless, secure, and open interoperability across industrial landscapes.

This profound insight, coupled with growing demand from GitHub users seeking support and services for Node-OPCUA, led Etienne to found Sterfive in 2017.

Sterfive was established to sustain the development of Node-OPCUA and provide industry-grade services and support to its users. The company swiftly became a key player in the OPC UA ecosystem, offering deep expertise, specialized training, custom software development, and high-level consulting.

Sterfive Mission

Sterfive's core mission is to develop the next generation of open-source software for industry, specializing in industrial object communication via the OPC UA interoperability standard. By strategically leveraging Node.js for its advanced asynchronous capabilities, Sterfive ensures its solutions are robust and scalable.

At the heart of Sterfive's impact is Node-OPCUA, the open-source OPC UA reference implementation in JavaScript, authored by Etienne himself. Launched in 2014, Node-OPCUA has achieved immense adoption, with over 2,000,000 total downloads and 120,000 downloads per month. It is now a vital component in world-class applications like Node-RED and is utilized by major players including Amazon Greengrass platforms, Siemens, Valmet, Renault, Teeptrak, Flowfuse, Cybus.io, MachineMetrics, and Desktop Metal.

Sterfive exclusively funds its open-source R&D through its customers, ensuring the technology evolves directly with industry needs.

Sterfive provides essential expertise, assistance, and custom software development, including OPC UA embedded servers and aggregators, along with high-level consulting. As a Corporate Member of the OPC UA Foundation and a UMATI Partner, Sterfive is deeply committed to shaping the future of industrial communication standards.

The long-term vision of Sterfive, driven by Etienne's pioneering spirit, is to empower the industrial world through open, intelligent, and secure communication, transforming complex challenges into seamless, interconnected solutions.

  • Sterfive's mission is to provide innovative open-source solutions for industrial automation, focusing on seamless interoperability and communication between diverse systems.

  • Sterfive is committed to developing the next generation of open-source software for industry, specializing in industrial object communication via the OPC UA interoperability standard.

  • Sterfive's vision is to empower industries with open, intelligent, and secure communication solutions that transform complex challenges into seamless, interconnected systems.

  • Sterfive is a Corporate Member of the OPC UA Foundation and a UMATI Partner, actively contributing to the evolution of industrial communication standards.

  • Sterfive is operated by its founder Etienne, the author of Node-OPCUA.*

Sterfive - Industrial IoT Solutions