The PROFIblog

If you make an automation device, it can be shipped globally.
If you make a machine, it can be shipped globally.
If you make a consumer product, it can be manufactured globally.

One of the “5 Criteria for choosing an Industrial Ethernet” is global support that is local.  PROFINET is supported all over the world and is a national standard where that is appropriate (like China and Korea).  Recently Korea announced the adoption of PROFINET and PROFIBUS as national standards:

China has already adopted PROFIBUS and PROFINET as national standards.

So PROFIBUS and PROFINET are standardized nationally and internationally.  How are they supported globally?  PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI) has four types of organizations distributed around the world:

1. Regional PI Associations (RPAs) – 27
2. PI Competence Centers (PICCs) – 43
3. PI Training Centers (PITCs) – 23
4. PI Test Labs (PITLs) – 10

PICCs, PITCs, and PITLs are certified by PI and audited every two years for conformance to the PI quality standard.  No other fieldbus/Industrial Ethernet organization has this many Competence Centers – in fact none of the others even have the concept of a competence center!

For even more reasons for you to standardize on PROFINET, read “Ford Powertrain Standardizes on PROFINET.”

–Carl Henning

What if you could replace an IO device on a PROFINET network without using a computer?  Surprise, there is no what-if here – you can do this now.  And there are no addressing switches to set either.  Oh, and the network keeps running the whole time, too.

We demonstrate this Simple Device Replacement feature in our PROFINET one-day training classes and I guess we’ve become too blasé about it.  It is really worthy of the “Wow” comment we got on a Course Evaluation form in Birmingham last month: “When Hunter replaced the component without any computer changes, WOW!!  Plug and go. Even a third shift maintenance man can do it! Simple and impressive!”

Here are the complete instructions for using this feature:

1. disconnect and remove the defective device
2. replace and reconnect the new device

Really, that’s all.

Ok, there are a few caveats: the replacement device has to be the same as the device it’s replacing.  No surprise there; you can’t replace a drive with an IO block.  And since PROFINET uses names, not numbers, the replacement device has to have a blank name (which it will from the factory).

In the background, to make Simple Device Replacement work, a veritable alphabet soup of standards comes into play: SNMP, LLDP, and DCP.  Come to one of our PROFINET one-day training classes and we’ll explain all those.

I always think of the breadth of PROFINET (discrete, process, motion, safety, etc.), but this is a reminder of the depth of PROFINET (Fast StartUp, iPar Server, Tool Calling Interface, Simple Device Replacement, etc.)  Wow!

–Carl Henning

Day 2 of the PROFINET Executive Leadership Forum featured presentations from

• Raj Batra, President, Industry Automation Division at Siemens
• Bernie Anger, General Manager Control and Communication Systems at GE Intelligent Platforms
• Michael Bastian, Controls Manager at Ford Motor Company (Powertrain Division)
• Joerg Freitag, Chairman of PI
• Tom Koulopoulos

The press has already reported in depth on these presentations, but I’ll add my take-aways:

Raj talked about “The Era of Big Data.”  Bernie added that you should record all data… even if you don’t know what you will do with it… you will eventually find a use for it.  When I was involved with historians we would have been nervous about that concept, but 10 years have passed since then.  Tom had a lot to say about data and interconnectedness too.

Raj also introduced the need for flexibility.  No longer does one line make one product.  Mike Bastian expanded on that in talking about Ford’s requirements.  Their major strategic initiatives were “global standardization, flexibility, and acceleration.”  When Mike saw the hodgepodge of automation systems and networks, he knew that standardization was needed.  His boss was even more vociferous in that need; he wanted everything standardized down to the lead in the pencil that signed off on the standards!  Mike’s example of flexibility was a transmission line that had to make two different transmissions.  The time frame for introducing new products is being compressed so project acceleration rounds out the Ford initiatives.  And if they add a third transmission to replace an existing one, the line cannot be out of service for the transition.

Standardization permeated many of the presentations.  Raj talked about PROFINET as the backbone of TIA.  Mike Bastian noted that having standardized on PROFINET, they told their suppliers that they must use PROFINET.  Bernie elaborated on GE’s reasons to standardize on PROFINET: Performance, Robustness, and Ecosystem.  Performance of one millisecond updates for thousands of nodes.  Robustness from redundant media (and bumpless changeover), rich diagnostics, and device replacement with no software needed.  The Ecosystem includes support tools, support organization, many products from many vendors, and application profiles.  Application profiles provide a means of organizing data without impacting the communications protocol.

My favorite quote from Bernie Anger: “Automation is a great enabler of competitiveness.”

The press contingent at the Forum has already begun to report on the event.  Here’s what’s out there so far (with more to come):

Travis Hessman in Industry Week: 3 Key Factors in Manufacturing Success

Peter Welander in Control Engineering: Are there too many industrial networking protocols? (with video)

Dave Greenfield in Automation World: Why GE Intelligent Platforms Chose Profinet

Bill Lydon at Automation.com: Manufacturing Innovation discussed at PROFINET Executive Leadership Forum

Keith Larson at Control Design: Profinet Gathers Momentum as Single Manufacturing Network

–Carl Henning

The PROFINET Executive Leadership Forum was held on February 23 and 24 in Miami.  PI North America members GE Intelligent Platforms and Siemens cosponsored the event with us.  The Forum provided a platform for PROFINET suppliers and users to highlight how PROFINET supported their efforts to innovate.  Here’s how PI North America Executive Director Michael Bryant introduced the Forum:

We are here to learn how and, more importantly, why two industry giants have come together to support one open industry standard. Siemens and GE compete in major verticals like medical, turbines, wind power, and industrial automation.  But each has decided to base their technology innovation on a network backbone of PROFINET.  They’ve each chosen PROFINET as not just another Industrial Ethernet, but as their only Industrial Ethernet.  Another PI North America Board member, Phoenix Contact, supports other Industrial Ethernets, but uses PROFINET as their exclusive solutions backbone.

The very foundation upon which PROFINET sits profited from the same cooperative promotion in the early 80’s that is happening in this room today. I am talking of course about Ethernet. Xerox, Digital Equipment, and Intel all got together to promote Ethernet as a standard. What happened as a result? They were able to dominate proprietary systems.

In manufacturing, we talk a lot about innovation—but what we really want to know is, what are the top-tier companies doing to innovate? And if my company adopts an innovative solution, how can I be sure it is based on proven technology that delivers results?

Today, Siemens and General Electric, whose combined global footprint comprises about $250 billion in sales, will answer those questions. We’ll learn how innovative technologies impact global leadership. And we’ll learn specifically why PROFINET was chosen as the innovative networking standard, and why you, too, can trust PROFINET.

After the welcome reception and Mike’s introduction, Dave Greenfield presented some results from the Automation World Innovation Survey.  I liked the response to the survey question: “What do you consider to have been the most innovative development in automation technology over the past 10 years?”  The most frequent answer: “Integration of Ethernet at the system and device level.”

Dave then ably moderated a panel discussion that included an end user, an OEM, and two System Integrators.  The OEM said they eliminated 3 to 4 other buses and just use PROFINET without the need for gateways.  Multiple members of the panel made comments about IT.  “IT owns down to the switches; Automation, below that.”  “PROFINET benefits from IT tools.”  “Users of PROFINET benefit from IT knowledge.”  Unlike serial fieldbuses, Ethernet provides common ground between IT and Automation.  “Involve IT from the beginning!”  A surprising comment was that MES is driving adoption of Industrial Ethernets like PROFINET.  Flexibility, ease-of-use, expandability, and determinism were also cited as PROFINET benefits.

Then it was time for dinner and a great chance to network.  News from day 2 to follow soon…

–Carl Henning

Sometimes one minute is not enough to find out about PROFINET.  For those occasions, try some more detailed videos from the PROFI Interface Center, featuring Hunter Harrington.  Start with the Introduction:

Then continue to the first detailed video (more to come):

And don’t miss Hunter in person at the PROFINET one-day training classes.

–Carl Henning