"This was the largest gathering in PI's history and it underlines why, technology aside, it's the strength of the PI community that is the principle driver of our success. I happen to believe that having passed the 3,000,000 node mark, PROFINET is 'breaking through' right now." Freitag
Having just returned from the 23rd PI Chairman's Meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, I must say how invigorating it was to be among such a highly motivated group of people. You'll read below that this was the largest gathering of its type in PI's history and I think it underlines why, technology aside, it's the strength of our global PI community that is a principle driver of our success. I happen to believe that, having passed the 3,000,000 node mark, PROFINET has reached critical mass and is 'breaking through' right at this moment. Thus, we are now well on our way to achieving the same status for PROFINET that we did with PROFIBUS. Over the course of the meeting a great many valuable decisions were taken that will drive us further towards that goal. I was delighted and honored to be re-elected as PI Chairman and of course I will continue to guide and support the organization to the best of my abilities in coming years. If you are not yet part of our PI community, I hope the articles below will illustrate the potential we and our technologies offer. Perhaps they will be enough for you to contact one of the offices listed below left, or one of our 1,400 member companies around the world. In which case maybe I will be fortunate enough to meet you sometime soon, perhaps in Dubai where we gather again next year. In the meantime, I wish you 'all the best' in automation, from the best in automation - PROFIBUS and PROFINET!
Jörg Freitag, PI Chairman
37 delegates from 23 out of the 27 Regional PI Associations (RPAs) met at the recent PI Chairman's Meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, for 2 and a half days of technology and marketing discussions about PROFIBUS and PROFINET. Together with the Training Centers, Competence Centers and Test Labs meeting at the same time, this meant that over 115 people with special interests in PROFIBUS and PROFINET attended in all, the largest gathering in PI's history.
Check this link
Xaver Schmidt, head of the PROFINET Marketing Working Group, attended the Lucerne meeting to explain the latest news and unveil the results of a recent market survey, conducted on-line and face-to-face at fairs and workshops. Topics he covered included the status of the PROFINET specification (it's complete, with V2.3 released some months ago) and security (a test spec. covering network load definitions and optional certification is now available). Schmidt pointed out that a complete set of free test tools are now available (Wireshark, GSDML-viewer, PN-tester and IRT-tester). Vertical markets are now being targeted via fairs such as embedded, CEMAT and MOTEK to cover market areas such as logistics and process measurement.
Prof. Frithjof Klasen, from the Institute for Automation & Industrial IT (AIT), Cologne University of Applied Science, presented the results of a comprehensive power load analysis undertaken on two automotive plants to more fully understand how energy is used, and therefore how PROFIenergy can best be applied.
Fifteen measuring devices were used to continuously record voltage, current, and power parameters over 7 days. Measured data was synchronized with plant/machine status, allowing energy consumption/load curves, maximum energy consumption, average basic energy consumption and energy consumption during unplanned and planned idle times to be determined. A typical infeed load curve is displayed above, showing the average power consumed during production (i.e. what is paid for) and that being used during planned and unplanned production pauses.
AWL-Techniek in Harderwijk, one of the largest builders of welding machines in the Netherlands, has used PROFINET and PROFIsafe for the past four years in all their systems. Cor Witteveen, Electrical Engineer, explained that they build machines to commission for many European manufacturing companies, and a significant part of their work goes to the automotive industry.
"PROFINET allows us the flexibility to build decentralized networks, which have several advantages. First, we have far less cabling to design and assemble and, second, we can build machines in modules that are easily connected and disconnected. This lets us fully test individual modules here in our factory and then quickly assemble the complete line at the end user's location."
"The great advantage is that PROFIsafe works transparently within our PROFINET networks, and programming is all done over the same cable. Previously we had to work with separate equipment, independent cables, PLCs and drives. Now, safety and control are tightly integrated, so engineering takes much less time and programming is simple by comparison.
According to David Medlyn, Senior Process Control Engineer, with PROFIBUS process managers are now obtaining immediate and more accurate feedback on every measured parameter and measuring point at all process stages. Better process control has increased the efficiency of subprocesses.
Furthermore, PROFIBUS 
The PROFIBUS organization Czech Republic, together with Deutschmann Automation, profichip and Foxon, held its first PROFIBUS Developer Workshop in May, in Prague. Basic information was provided for product development using ASICs and modules. Participants were able to decide whether a PROFIBUS integration with an ASIC from profichip or the universal gateway module UNIGATE-IC series from Deutschmann Automation offered the best solution for their applications. With the PROFIBUS tools from PROCENTEC, Foxon presented appropriate analysis techniques for product development and troubleshooting. Each participant received from profichip a free DP-V0 protocol software stack and from Deutschmann Automation a UNIGATE starter-kit. 
INDIAN PROFIBUS & PROFINET ASSOCIATION
PROFIblog
IBUS/PROFINET Association South East Asia has successfully conducted a major seminar at the Petrofac Training Center on Jurong Island in Singapore. A total of 60 participants listened to the latest updates about PROFIBUS and PROFINET. Jurong Island is the home of the petrochemical industries so one of the main topics was process safety using fieldbus technology. The seminar was supported by Siemens, Pepperl + Fuchs, Endress+Hauser, Phoenix Contact, Leoni, Vipa and VEGA, who provided live demonstrations showcasing innovative products and solutions. The seminar was organized in three parts: news and market updates with the latest information about installed nodes; a PROFIBUS block with presentations on installations and best practices as well as process safety; and a PROFINET block on innovative Industrial Ethernet 
solutions as well as new PROFINET features for the process industry such as redundancy, shared devices and more. More locations will follow, including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. The Chairman of PI is expected to attend one of these seminars. 
Paula Doyle, Chairman of PI Middle East writes: “Paula Doyle, Chairman of PI Middle East writes: “PI Middle East was officially launched on June 29th 2011, sponsored by ABB, E+H, Phoenix Contact, Pepperl & Fuchs, ProSoft, Siemens, Stahl, Turck and Yokogawa. Over 130 people representing a variety of industial sectors attended the event, to learn more about PI and the benefits of PROFIBUS and PROFINET.
Lebanon 
Changes to the way PI Training Centers (PITCs) are allowed to operate globally were agreed at the Lucerne meeting (see story left). In the past, a PITC could only offer certified training classes in their own country or region - to avoid overlaps - but this has proved unworkable given that many organizations with PITC facilities already operate globally anyway. So, it was decided that, from now, a PITC can undertake training on PROFINET and PROFIBUS topics anywhere in the world, enabling certified courses to be offered in more areas and making attendance easier as engineers and installers will not need to travel long distances. Certain conditions must be met however. These are: that a PITC must be a full paying member of its parent Regional PI Association (RPA) i.e in the country where it is located as well as in the region where it wishes to offer its services; 
also that all training programs must be scheduled and approved by the local RPA. Certificates (right) will be issued by the RPA in the region where the training takes place. Pictured top is Dennis van Booma, Working Group Chairman of Training - PITCs, who helped present the new policy to training personnel attending the meeting.
Wago has a new 4-channel digital input and 1-channel digital output terminal supporting PROFIsafe for PROFIBUS and PROFINET. It features a configurable safe output of two semiconductor switches (24 V/10 A) and four stroke-sensitive inputs. Outputs are capable of switching inductive loads up to 2 A without additional external circuitry. Operating modes, the shutdown of the test pulses, discrepancy and filter times are parameterized using WAGO I/O-CHECK, which can be integrated into engineering systems via TCI (Tool Calling Interface). Parameters can also be automatically downloaded from an iPar server. 
Modbus TCP-enabled devices can now be easily connected to PROFIBUS using the latest Anybus X-gateway. The X-gateway works as a translator between the two protocols and is configured through a web interface with no need for programming. Acting as a client (master) on the Modbus TCP network and a slave/adapter on the PROFIBUS network, it provides fast transfer of data, typically with a delay of less than 5ms. X-gateways have been re-designed (see photo) and now enable easier cable connection, backplane stacking possibilities and a wall-mount option for harsh industrial environments. 
IVG-Göhringer's PQ-T 10 PROFIBUS 
STEINHOFF Automation & Fieldbus Systems now has a PROFIBUS DP Master implementation for the realtime-capable PREEMPT_RT Linux and Standard Linux, together with a Linux-based tool for configuring PROFIBUS DP networks. PROFIBUS DP board/software packages are offered together with PCI, PCIe, PC/104-Plus or PC/104 Boards from Softing. The PROFIBUS DP Master software is based on the UIO-interface, and is independent of the Linux kernel version. Only the sources of the related kernel module have to be recompiled for the individual v. 2.6.x kernel versions and the latest UIO support. The offered implementation avoids context switches in the operational mode of the master in order to minimize the requested CPU time. Additionally offered is the C-API also as function block library for integrating into DACHSview. 
PN-INspektor is a passive data logger for PROFINET networks. An integrated TAP makes it an intelligent measurement point for online analysis. By storing data in the device events on the bus may later be traced and evaluated. The network condition can be displayed on any PC using a browser in the form of a subscriber-related matrix, thus obviating the need for additional software. Pre-defined trigger functions respond to changes in the network and an integrated potential-free contact raises an alarm if pre-set thresholds are exceeded. This information reflects the current condition of the communication quality in the network and provides information on random events. It can serve both as an acceptance and test method for new systems as well as providing essential information for maintenance and remote servicing. 
