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2026 North American PROFINET Plugfest
Read: 2026 North American PROFINET PlugfestPROFINET devices and controllers test their limits SCOTTSDALE, AZ – PI North America, in cooperation with the PROFI Interface Center, held its fourth North American PROFINET Plugfest, on April 15–16, 2026, hosted by Emerson. Thirty-six engineers from thirteen companies brought seven controllers and fifteen devices to the plugfest. Participating companies included Banner Engineering, Cisco, Dunkermotoren,…
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PI North America Launches Procurement Resource
Read: PI North America Launches Procurement ResourceNew webpage highlights distributors of automation products SCOTTSDALE, AZ – In an effort to streamline the procurement process for control engineers, production machine designers, and automated factories, PI North America is excited to announce the launch of a new resource: Where to Buy. This resource is designed to help users easily find distributors of PROFIBUS,…
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New Board Members Named to PI North America
Read: New Board Members Named to PI North AmericaStrong Leadership Focused on Openness, Security, and the Future of Industrial Networks PI North America is pleased to announce three new Board of Directors members including Darrell Halterman, Victor Wolowec, and Bernd Raithel. Each new Board member brings a fresh perspective and wealth of experience with industrial networks and systems that will help shape long-term…
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34th Annual PI Meeting Recap – Dubai 2023
Read: 34th Annual PI Meeting Recap – Dubai 2023PI recently held its annual meeting. This includes the many Regional PI Associations (RPA), PI Competence Centers (PICC), PI Training Centers (PITC), and PI Test Labs (PITL) from around the world. Our gracious host this year was the PI Middle East RPA in the incredible city of Dubai, UAE. PI follows the ‘think global, act…
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Aruba, an HPE Company, Joins omlox RTLS Group
Read: Aruba, an HPE Company, Joins omlox RTLS GroupFocus Is On Interoperable Open RTLS Standards PI North America, a non-profit member-supported organization, is proud to welcome Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, as its newest omlox member. Together with PROFIBUS, PROFINET, and IO-Link, omlox is a vendor-neutral technology promoted by the organization. omlox is an open standard real-time locating system (RTLS) for industry…
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2022 General Assembly Meeting Wrap-Up
Read: 2022 General Assembly Meeting Wrap-UpThis year’s PI North America General Assembly Meeting (GAM) was again held in a virtual format, back on October 13th. Here are some highlights from the presentations. Presenters: Michael Bowne, Executive Director, PI North America Karsten Schneider, Chairman, PI Torsten Paulsen, General Manager, PROFI Interface Center State of the Association The big highlight of 2022…
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FAQ 7/7: Is PROFINET ‘old’ technology?
Read: FAQ 7/7: Is PROFINET ‘old’ technology?This blogpost is the final in a series of seven, inspired by the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding PROFINET. PROFINET is based on Ethernet, which was technically invented in the 1970s –but has come a long way since then. It certainly seems like wireless is taking over as the primary way to move…
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FAQ 6/7: Is PROFINET secure?
Read: FAQ 6/7: Is PROFINET secure?This blogpost is the sixth in a series of seven, inspired by the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding PROFINET. That fact that most PROFINET traffic is not routable is an inherent security measure. For a nefarious actor to manipulate PROFINET traffic, they would need to do so from inside your network. If a…
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FAQ 5/7: Is it true that PROFINET traffic is not routable?
Read: FAQ 5/7: Is it true that PROFINET traffic is not routable?This blogpost is the fifth in a series of seven, inspired by the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding PROFINET. It is true that most PROFINET traffic is not routable. This is by design. PROFINET utilizes UDP/IP and TCP/IP where it makes sense. And skips them where it doesn’t. Automation traffic is often little…
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PI North America Welcomes New Technical Marketing Director
Read: PI North America Welcomes New Technical Marketing DirectorIndustry veteran, Tom Weingartner, brings Industrial Ethernet experience and broad perspective Scottsdale, AZ – PI North America, the non-profit trade organization supporting PROFIBUS, PROFINET, IO-Link, and omlox technologies in North America, is proud to announce the appointment of Tom Weingartner as its new Technical Marketing Director. Tom has over 30 years’ experience ranging from ASIC…
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FAQ 4/7: Is PROFINET complicated?
Read: FAQ 4/7: Is PROFINET complicated?This blogpost is the fourth in a series of seven, inspired by the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding PROFINET. If you have ever set up a PROFIBUS network, then setting up a PROFINET network is basically the same. If anything, it is likely easier than PROFIBUS since you do not have to worry…
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FAQ 3/7: Does PROFINET require special hardware?
Read: FAQ 3/7: Does PROFINET require special hardware?This blogpost is the third in a series of seven, inspired by the most frequently asked questions we receive regarding PROFINET. Since PROFINET is based on standard unmodified Ethernet, no special cables or switches are required. However, using the same cables and switches built for office environments on a factory floor is a recipe for…
