HOUSTON, Texas, April 9, 2002 -- Smar International Corp. announced the licensing of its Foundation fieldbus technology to Rockwell Automation, a provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions.
Rockwell will utilize Smar's technology to enhance the Foundation fieldbus capabilities in its Complete Automation Integrated Architecture.
Rockwell Automation, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., is the second major automation system supplier to align with Smar in the area of field communications technology. In November 2001, Endress+Hauser, a , Swiss-based controls and instrumentation manufacturer, announced it was entering into a strategic technology alliance with Smar for the development of advanced fieldbus solutions.
Rockwell Automation will build Smar technology into its Logix controller platforms, including system implementation tools providing predefined function blocks for control strategies, auto sensing of new devices, and polarity insensitive wiring within an open communication venue.
According to Smar President Edmundo Gorini, the Rockwell Automation agreement provides further evidence of how Smar's fieldbus technology is recognized as "Best-in-Class" throughout the global controls and instrumentation industry.
"Smar is pleased its unmatched capabilities in Foundation fieldbus will now be tightly integrated with Rockwell's process control architecture," said Gorini.
"This union of our two companies' technologies will provide a new level of enterprise automation performance for the process industries. By enabling efficient distribution of control strategies to the field, interoperability between different manufacturers' devices and bus protocols, and improved plant asset management, Smar's fieldbus technology will allow end users to realize greater benefits from the Rockwell platform."
Smar's pioneering developments in digital field communications have earned it the reputation of "First in Fieldbus." The company established the first H1 fieldbus installation in 1994, and in 2001, registered the first High Speed Ethernet (HSE) linking device for seamless connectivity in the open, integrated Foundation fieldbus architecture. Today, Smar offers the most advanced hardware and software technologies based on industry-standard fieldbus protocols, including its powerful SYSTEM302 enterprise automation system and the widest range of Foundation fieldbus, Profibus and HART instruments on the market.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) is a world- provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions that help customers meet their manufacturing productivity objectives. The company brings together
brands in industrial automation for Complete Automation solutions, including Allen-Bradley® controls and engineered services and Rockwell Software® factory management software, Dodge® mechanical power transmission products, and Reliance Electric® motors and drives. The company also is a
provider of contact management technologies and applications that help companies more efficiently manage interaction with their own customers. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., USA, the company employs approximately 23,000 people at more than 450 locations serving customers in more than 80 countries.
About Smar International
Founded in 1974, Smar International Corp. is recognized as a global leader in controls and instrumentation for process and manufacturing automation. The company maintains operations in eight countries, as well as an extensive, international network of distributors and representatives.
Recognized as "First in Fieldbus," Smar has pioneered many of today's advanced digital field instrument and control network technologies. This is consolidated in a broad product offering based on the industry-standard HART, Foundation fieldbus and Profibus protocols. Smar's powerful, fieldbus-based SYSTEM302 has gained prominence as a "best-in-class" industrial automation solution in installations around the world. In addition, Smar's complete system integration capabilities include one of the industry's widest selections of field devices, interfaces, integrated circuits and software.
