Archived press release

CiA Marketing Groupe in France

Valence, September 6, 2011. Some members of the CAN in Automation (CiA) international users’ and manufacturers’ group have re-established the French CiA Marketing Group. It is intended to organize jointly some marketing activities in France. The group chaired by Chistophe Duhoux (Sprinte) decided to organize a series of CANopen information events beginning of 2012 in Paris, Grenoble or Lyon, Nice, and Toulouse. For May or June, it is planned to schedule in Lyon the CANopen Convergence Days 2012, a one-day conference plus a one-day workshop. The group also started an initiative to provide technical articles and application reports to French media (online and printed). Agilicom, B&R France, Cyberio, Faun Environment, Festo France, HMS France, I.S.I.T., and Sprinte were the initial members of the French CiA group.
The CANopen application layer was originally developed in a European research project participated also by French engineers. “It is one of the strategic network technologies used by Schneider Electric for embedded control systems,” said Holger Zeltwanger, CiA’s managing director. “There are also some other CANopen users in France,” added Christophe Duhoux. “For example, we use CANopen in lift control systems, and Faun use it since many years in its refuse collecting vehicles.” Agilicom offers CANopen gateways and modules, B&R and Festo provide a broad range of industrial automation devices with CANopen connectivity. I.S.I.T distributes the CANopen hardware and software from different German companies (Deutschmann, Ixxat, and RM Michaelides). HMS France offers the CANopen interface and gateway modules from its Swedish mother company. Cyberio is involved in research projects using CANopen technology in underwater applications.