There was news of PROFIBUS and PROFINET at Hanover Fair: “50th PI Competence Center (PICC) Established” and it’s in the US! KW Software has become the fourth PICC in North America, joining the PROFI Interface Center (PIC), Molex, and HMS Networks. The PIC is a PICC for both PROFIBUS and PROFINET, the others for PROFINET. The increasing number of PROFINET PICCs is an indicator of the growth of PROFINET here in North America!
You can read the press release here, but let me provide some background information on what a PI Competence Center is. A PICC is there to support users of PROFIBUS or PROFINET:
- A PICC is accessible for questions from users.
- A multi-vendor demo system with diagnostic tools is available.
- Training in some form is offered at least quarterly.
- A PICC attends an international meeting of all PICCs every two years or more often.
- A PICC supports the Regional PI Association (RPA).
- Audits every other year ensure that the PICC remains in compliance with the Quality of Service agreement with PI.
The PROFINET PICCs here in North America also help manufacturers of automation devices add PROFINET to their products. KW Software is on the road with us at our PROFINET one-day training classes so you can see their solutions.
None of the other fieldbus or Industrial Ethernet organizations have even the concept of a competence center; PI has 50 with more pending.
More news from Hanover to come…
–Carl Henning