Group will champion Ethernet for factories

A group of 21, mainly American, automation suppliers have formed an organisation to encourage the use of Ethernet- and Internet-based networks on the factory floor.

Founder members of the Industrial Automation Open Networking Alliance - IAONA - include Echelon and Opto 22. The group hopes to foster open networking by a range of measures including "identifying and resolving issues", making recommendations to standards organisations and sponsoring educational programmes.

More information can be found on the group`s Web site at www.iaona.com.