The PI North America "year" revolves around our annual General Assembly Meeting held every September here in Scottsdale, AZ. This year's installment marks the 22nd anniversary, since the organization was founded as the PROFIBUS Trade Organization in 1994. With the 2016 GAM now in our rearview mirror, we can reflect on the progress made during the year leading up to, and during the event.
The General Assembly Meeting is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with members, end-users, and the press. Principally an open forum for discussion, the event provides members with access to other members in a noncompetitive setting. This year was particularly engaging with many notable presentations on the current state of the organization as well as its future direction.
In addition to providing our members with a forum for discussion about past and future activities, the General Assembly Meeting is an opportunity to hear from end-users. End users present their cutting edge applications using the PROFIBUS and PROFINET technologies. Of note were the number of case studies involving wireless and safety that push the boundaries of what's imaginable through automation.
That was one of the questions posed during a wide-ranging panel discussion held at the 2016 General Assembly Meeting. The panel quickly turned into the highlight of the event and touched on many forward looking topics relating to industry, workforce development, connectivity, and edge computing.
When a user decides on PROFINET, he has a choice of thousands of different products developed and available worldwide today, such as I/O devices, actuators, sensors, network and infrastructure components, and controllers. This variety gives the user maximum freedom to design his own plant and automation systems. The device manufacturer has access to a wide range of different hardware- and software-based basic technologies for optimal implementation of the PROFINET interface based on his requirements.
Did you know that all well-known chip manufacturers offer chips for IO-Link devices or masters? Over ten chip manufacturers have already listed their products. These offer a suitable chip for every device class, ranging from simple drivers/transceivers to microcontrollers. Several manufactures have also integrated IO-Link in their system or network controllers.
Secure and stable networks form the basis of high performance industrial communication. The only chance for their longevity is that they remain in perfect working condition. Is this currently the case? VORTEX 2016 for the first time delivers a comprehensive appraisal of the status of industrial networks across technologies and countries.
News from Australia and India: PI Australia held their annual member meeting and looked back at the year’s achievements, including a new membership high. PI India demonstrated a seamless multivendor system at SPS Automation India 2016.
