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“The leading Industrial Ethernet system on the market”
Jörg Freitag, chairman of PI, can look back with satisfaction at the developments over the past few years. The support provided by AIDA, the automation initiative of German automobile manufacturers, plays a key role in this context – also with respect to the new PROFIenergy profile.
Mr. Freitag, does the fact that you have exceeded the ambitious growth expectations for 2008 fill you with a certain pride?
Jörg Freitag: Of course – after all, the node numbers show that we have developed an excellent and globally accepted standard for Industrial Ethernet in the shape of PROFINET. And there is more to it than a simple comparison of who sells the most devices. It is, of course, fantastic to be able to say that PROFINET is the leading Industrial Ethernet system on the market.
Without a doubt, this success is due in part to AIDA, which, in 2004, threw its weight behind PROFINET as the Industrial Ethernet standard for the German automotive industry.
Jörg Freitag: You’ve touched on a key point there. I think AIDA’s support played a significant role in the success of launching PROFINET on the market. When all the major German automobile manufacturers stand up for a specific technology, that sends out a clear and strong message. A particularly positive point for me was having representatives from Audi, BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen on the podium with us at the press conference, and everyone made it unmistakably clear that PROFINET had proved itself in their plants and will remain the technology of choice in the future.
The issue of integration in particular received a very positive evaluation from AIDA.
Jörg Freitag: The savings potential is immediately obvious when you have just one bus system for everything; faster start-up times and shorter retooling times are just two of the benefits.
This versatility is scheduled to expand further during the coming year, with PROFIenergy. What exactly is planned?
Jörg Freitag:
Using energy efficiently will become an increasingly important lever in helping companies maintain or improve their competitive position. We can enable more energy-efficient plant operation with PROFINET. We are currently developing a manufacturer-independent profile for PROFINET that will support a set of “power-saving” modes for high-energy equipment and show how these modes can be actively managed over the network.
We will publish this PROFIenergy profile at the end of 2009. Again, we have a clear statement from AIDA: in the future, energy efficiency will be a key factor in the equipment selection process.
Mr. Freitag, thank you for speaking with us.
Vitae
Jörg Freitag obtained a degree in electrical engineering at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He has worked for Siemens in various areas for more than 12 years and possesses extensive knowledge in the field of automation technology and industrial communication. Since 2007, he has been chairman of the board of directors of PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO) and chairman of PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI).