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Industrial wireless experts meet in Beijing

04/11/2008

Research Triangle Park, N.C.,  April 10 - One-hundred-and-seventeen standardization experts from the United States and China gathered in Beijing to discuss developments in standardization, new technologies, and applications of wireless systems for automation in the U.S. and China within the IEC. The meeting served to enhance the dialogue between the United States and China on emerging standardization issues.

Held under the auspices of the U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment Cooperation Program (SCACP), sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the program attracted world class experts from industry, academia, and government.

Keynote presentations were given by Mr. Guo Chenguang, Deputy Director, Standards Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC); Timothy Feldman, Director of Global Operations, ISA; Mr. Feng Xiaosheng, Vice President, Chairman SAC/TC 124 of Industrial Process Measurement and Control; and Mr. Wu Youhua, Secretary General of the China Instrument and Control Society.

Underscoring the importance of the event, Mr. Guo of SAC said, "I am delighted that some of China's top experts from prestigious education, industry, and research institutes have joined an organization like ISA to discuss key issues. ISA has made many important contributions to the field of process automation and instrumentation." Representatives from Tsinghua University, HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing University of Science and Technology, and Shenyang Institute of Automaton, Chinese Academy of Sciences were present at the event.

Predicting that industrial wireless technologies could lead to a second industrial revolution, Mr. Feng said, "This potential can only be realized with robust and open international standards." Mr. Wu of CIS followed by saying that today's workshop is important to his 50,000 members of CIS, who "wish to maintain close cooperation and contact with global experts in wireless standardization development."

Key presentations were given by ISA100 Committee members David Kaufman of Honeywell, Cliff Whitehead of Rockwell Automation, Charley Robinson of ISA, Professor Yu Haibin of Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Mr. Mei Ke, Instrumentation Technology & Economy Institute. "The quality and depth of the technical presentations and the lively Q&A sessions were very valuable to the understanding of key issues in the United States and China," said Kaufman.

The workshop attracted numerous world class end-users from China, such as SINOPEC Engineering Incorporation, China IPPR International Engineering Co, Ltd, Beijing Uanshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd., and China Haohua Engineering Co., Ltd. "The development of a world class global standard is only useful to the extent that users are served," said Whitehead.

"This was a remarkable event that reflected the seriousness with which experts in industrial wireless from both China and the United States treat the standard-making process," said Feldman. "These experts are committed to making certain that both countries honor their obligations under WTO to keep standards from becoming barriers to open trade." He added that the "spirit of cooperation between approaches to an industrial wireless standard" can be resolved in the open process of the ISA100 Committee and the IEC process.