Profibus & Profinet International (PI, www.profibus.org) and the Interbus Club (www.interbusclub.com) agreed to integrate Interbus technology into PI. The decision was made at their members' annual general assemblies at Hannover Fair 2011 in Germany.
Because so many fieldbus end users have shifted toward Ethernet in recent years, the Interbus Club previously decided to rely on Profinet for its future, Ethernet-based standard, and to create an optimal integration concept within PI's relevant working groups. However, as Interbus technology continued to develop, its members more recently decided to transfer their technology to PI, and to disband the organization once its mission is achieved.
"The easy and economical integration into Profinet will ensure that investments of users in Interbus technology are protected," says Stefan Körte, chairman of the Interbus Club.
PI's chairman, Joerg Freitag, adds, "PI has established itself as market leader among Ethernet-based systems in recent years with more than 3 million devices currently installed. The recent migration from Interbus to Profinet makes the integration of the technology into PI a logical move."
Since it was founded more than 20 years ago, the Interbus Club has promoted further development of the Interbus system, and successfully established it in the market as a fully developed technology with active participation of its members. In addition, Interbus is standardized in IEC 61158 and IEC 61784, and is currently in use in numerous applications worldwide.
