Users' group appoints new General Manager

Fieldbus users' group the CLPA or CC-Link Partners' Association has appointed Steve Jones to replace retiring Malcolm Robins as General Manager for its European operations.

Fieldbus users' group the CLPA (CC-Link Partners' Association) has appointed Steve Jones to replace retiring Malcolm Robins as General Manager for its European operations.

CC-Link was originally developed by Mitsubishi Electric, one of the largest automation equipment manufacturers and the world's largest volume manufacturer of PLCs.

In the year 2000, CC-Link was released as an "open" network so that independent automation equipment manufacturers could incorporate CC-Link compatibility into their products.

This enabled end-users and OEMs to select the products they needed for their automation systems and be assured that these products could communicate with each other over a single CC-Link cable.

Also in 2000, the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) was formed to manage the network technology and support manufacturer members.

CLPA is an international association of leading automation companies.

More than 750 CC-Link compatible products from hundreds of automation manufacturers are available.

It is generally accepted that there are three major worldwide open automation- fieldbuses; CC-Link, DeviceNet and Profibus.

CC-Link was originally developed in Japan and is hugely dominant throughout Asia.

DeviceNet began in America, where it remains strongest.

Profibus was created in Germany and has found Europe to be its main region.

Although CC-Link is the newest of these globally accepted fieldbus networks, it already has nearly four million nodes installed and is growing rapidly.

Numerous international standards bodies have approved CC-Link networking technology including ISO, SEMI, China National GBZ, and IEC.

In taking up his new position Jones is returning to the UK after a four year posting to Germany, where he led Mitsubishi's advance into Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.

Previously he had been Divisional Manager for the company's Automation Systems Division.

His breadth and depth of experience will be put to great use as he develops the group and the technology nationally, in Europe and internationally.

"Fieldbuses have gone through some distinct stages", he says.

"First there was the development stage, with many protocols being produced by different bodies; then there was the 'Fieldbus Wars' of the 1990s when everybody went tooth and nail to establish a significant presence".

"Inevitably many protocols fell by the wayside and the big three rose to dominance".

"We've been in calmer waters for a few years, but advances in the global market mean we can't be too cosy for too long".

"There is still a lot of territory to fight for, and technical and commercial advantages to be leveraged".

For some years anybody wanting to sell machines or systems to the new economies of Asia or the Pacific has had to offer CC-Link.

It is also popular in Europe, particularly on systems based around Japanese-originated control hardware.

CC-Link's advances into the Americas are echoing the increased penetration of Asian hardware and systems into this once-isolated market.

From his recent experiences Jones puts CC-Link in a strong position in New Europe and further east.

"Manufacturing companies there are leaping several generations of technology as they modernise their production capabilities, he observes.

"Twenty years ago they would have followed a Soviet lead; ten years ago it seemed that Germany would naturally dominate in the region".

"But a culture has developed based on a complete break with the past and the adoption of best in class technology.

"This puts CC-Link in a very strong position".

"Further English has been recognised as the best language for international trade, resulting in the region is becoming more Anglophile".

CC-Link is a field or device level network that provides high speed deterministic communications, linking a wide range of automation technologies over a single cable.

It is ideal for machine, cell or process control in manufacturing and production industries, and is also widely used in facilities management and building automation.

"As a multi-vendor organisation, the CLPA is adding new CC-Link compatible equipment to its portfolio rapidly", says Jones.

CLPA supports a family of integrated network technologies consisting of CC-Link, CC-Link/LT, and CC-Link Safety.

These three technologies are based on the same core network design and can be easily used in combination with each other in a single, integrated automation scheme.

"We are also working on some very advanced Ethernet developments which will lead to major technical developments in the very near future".

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