THIS PAPER DESCRIBES AN OPEN CONTROL ARCHITECTURE THAT SHOULD FIND WIDE APPLICATION IN IMPLEMENTING THE NEXT GENERATION ASSEMBLY AUTOMATION SYSTEMS. THE REQUIREMENT FOR OPEN STANDARDS IS WELL- ESTABLISHED IN MANY DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE, CAD, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION. THE NEED FOR OPEN CONTROL ARCHITECTURES OR REFERENCE FRAMEWORKS FOR GENERAL MACHINE CONTROL, WITH FOCUS ON ASSEMBLY SYSTEMS, IS DEVELOPED IN THIS PAPER. MANY INDUSTRIAL SECTORS RECOGNIZE A NEED TO MOVE TOWARDS THE USE OF PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION TO PRODUCE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES THAT ARE MORE FLEXIBLE AND RESPONSIVE TO MARKET DEMANDS. THE MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE APPLICATION OF PROGRAMMABLE ASSEMBLY AUTOMATION INCLUDE THE HIGH COST OF ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS AND SHORTAGE OF APPROPRIATE ENGINEERING SKILLS. THE OUTLINE FINDINGS OF A PROOF OF CONCEPT RESEARCH PROGRAM ARE REPORTED, AND