IAONA now represented in South Africa
September 2004
News
The SA branch of IAONA has recently begun operations, with Malcolm Findlay (of Penmac) as the Chairman. Errol Mann is responsible for marketing and will respond to any queries.
IAONA is the independent platform organisation for industrial Ethernet Standardisation and harmonisation of innovative technologies - the competence centre for information, publication and training.
IAONA was founded in 1999 at the SPS/IPC/Drives in Nuremberg as an alliance of more than 130 leading international manufacturers and users of automation systems. It pursues the aim of establishing open communication standards in every industrial environment at an international level. The ultimate goal is to realise general, interfaceless communication through all levels of an enterprise. This refers to all fields of plant automation, process automation, and building automation.
The organisation works out specifications and guidelines to be used in order to force the spread of Ethernet - and the development of new, market-appropriate applications based on Ethernet are fostered through a regular and mutual exchange of information. IAONA expects the use of Ethernet to expand to all levels and fields of enterprises.
IAONA takes the view that a realisation of these aims can only succeed by applying the principle of the 'open source' model. That means a consequent spread out of all specifications over a broad public.
IAONA as platform organisation aims to guarantee the compatibility of different solutions as far as possible. IAONA in its new role as a neutral platform organisation for industrial Ethernet has the goal to extend existing commonalties in the different protocols and approaches for industrial Ethernet and to prevent further incompatibilities of the existing solutions. For this reason Open Device Vendor Association (ODVA), Modbus-IDA, EtherCAT Technology Group, Ethernet Powerlink Specification Group and Interests Group SERCOS Interface collaborate with IAONA.
The six organisations have defined a common strategy for the further development of Ethernet based products for industrial automation. As a medium-term goal for example, security aspects, cabling and wiring, the use of IEEE 1588 and system aspects will be topics that shall be worked on together.
For more information contact Errol Mann, IAONA SA, 011 885 2572.
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