Profibus Association of Australia elects new chairman

The Profibus Association of Australia (PAA) elected a new committee at its recent 2011 AGM following the resignation of founding Chairman John Immelman.

The PAA, Australia's oldest and most active fieldbus association, was formed in 2004 to provide technical assistance and certified training courses to product suppliers and end users in the manufacturing, mining and water/wastewater industries.

On behalf of the National Committee and all Members, the PAA offers Lynne and John Immelman sincere thanks for their significant contribution in developing the Profibus technology in Australia.

Incoming Chairman Rafael Koenig is extremely positive about the continued growth of Profibus in Australia. "Thanks to John's leadership and enthusiasm, we are in the enviable position to take over an association that is in the best possible shape. The committee and I are committed to build on John's achievements and develop the PAA as a technology community made up from vendors, installers and users. Knowledge development and availability of specialist resources are at the core of our approach to make Profibus and its ethernet proxy technology Profinet the most reliable and accepted systems for automation networking."

The PAA is now one of 27 regional associations in a worldwide network of Profibus International (PI) support centres, making it one of the largest automation organisations of its kind.

The size and stature of the PAA has grown dramatically over the last five years. This can be attributed to its close association with Australia's long-running resources boom and the increasing popularity of Profibus in process plants in the mining sector and in water/wastewater industries.

The PAA has supported the recent high adoption levels of Profibus in Australia by providing regular certified training courses for end users and 24/7 technical support through the formation of the Profibus International Competence Centre (PICC) - a subsidiary of Tyco Flow Control Pacific.

Reflecting on his six years as PAA Chairman, John Immelman exuded a sense of pride and optimism.

"I am immensely proud of what the association has achieved in a relatively short period of time," he remarked. "With the active support of my PAA colleagues we have raised the association's visibility dramatically within the automation industry.

"On the other hand, this moment is tinged with sadness knowing I will no longer play an active role in promoting the world's most popular fieldbus, particularly as the Profibus technology has gained enormous momentum in Australia's manufacturing and processing industries."