Congratulations to HMS Networks for becoming the latest PI Training Center in Sweden. Located in Halmstad, Sweden, they are now certified to provide both PROFBUS and PROFINET training.

PROFINET is a dynamic standard driven by an active community. New versions bring more features annually. In fact, I would be more concerned if our customers or community ran out of ideas for further development.

Virtual controllers and devices are a perfect example of the IT/OT convergence which plays a decisive role for PROFINET in automation technology. With the technical advancements being made in virtualization technology and the growing demand for virtual controllers and devices, PI has adapted the PROFINET certification process accordingly.

PROFINET users rely on the high quality and interoperability of devices used in their systems. Device manufacturers would like to have a flexibly implementable testing system offering easy and comprehensible operation. This is why PI is continuing to invest heavily to develop the PROFINET Tester –ensuring high quality for users and ease-of-use for device manufacturers.

The numbers speak for themselves. The IO-Link standard has taken the market by storm. Joachim Uffelmann, Head of the Steering Committee for the IO-Link Community, explains the significance behind this success.

The omlox standard, which provides openness and interoperability for real-time positioning in industrial environments, is growing steadily and is increasingly established on the market. We are pleased to announce that omlox air 8 ready certification is now available for omlox Core Zone products.

Advancing digitalization in automation technology has experienced a significant innovation with the virtualization of programmable logic controllers (vPLCs). PROFIsafe, which plays an essential role in many automation systems, has received a letter of conformance from the TÜV Süd confirming its effectiveness when used with vPLCs.

Robot programmers are rare, and the lack of specialists is further intensifying the situation. This is why a host of robot manufacturers and Siemens, as a PLC manufacturer, joined forces to establish a standardized interface: the SRCI (Standard Robot Command Interface). The list of vendors supporting SRCI –and to what level, is constantly being updated.