In August, the 29th AADECA Congress took place at the Faculty of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. The event gathered more than 200 registered participants, including professionals, academics, and industry representatives.
Within this framework, Hernán Bertotto (representing PI in Argentina) delivered a plenary session entitled “From Cable to Data: The New Language of Sensors”, addressing the impact of new communication technologies at the field level. The presentation focused on the role of the Advanced Physical Layer (Ethernet-APL) and Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) in enabling Ethernet to reach field devices in demanding industrial environments.
A key aspect of the session was highlighting why PROFINET is the natural choice for implementing applications via APL:
- Its strong global adoption in industrial networks
- Seamless integration of devices from field level up to management systems
- Compatibility with digital architectures and digital twins
Recent market studies confirm this position: PROFINET remains the leading Industrial Ethernet technology worldwide, representing the largest share of newly installed nodes across industries. With its continuous growth and broad ecosystem of supported devices, PROFINET provides a secure and future-proof path for digitalization strategies.
This global predominance makes PROFINET especially attractive for APL-based applications, as it ensures long-term sustainability, interoperability, and wide vendor support. Combined with the capabilities of Ethernet-APL—such as 10 Mbit/s full-duplex communication over 1,000 meters of two-wire cabling, intrinsic safety options, and simplified installation—PROFINET enables robust, scalable, and efficient network architectures all the way down to the field level.
The plenary was carried out as part of the activities of AUTEXOPEN, a PI Certified Competence and Training Center that supports users and companies in Argentina and the Latin America region.
This participation at AADECA emphasized how the evolution “from cable to data” is redefining the role of sensors, empowering them within the digitalization of processes and reinforcing PROFINET as the reference platform for this technological transition.
