ETG breaks milestone in members in China

2nd August 2016

Anna Flockett

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Founded in 2003, in Nuremberg, Germany, the world headquarters of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has since grown into a global phenomenon. ETG maintains regional offices in four other countries.

One such country is China where Beryl Fan, manager of the local ETG office in Beijing, and her team promote EtherCAT technology while supporting implementation in the Chinese market.

In these areas, they have become wildly successful. When the ETG China Office was founded in 2007, there were fewer than ten member companies. Now, the People’s Republic of China has broken the 500 member barrier.

The ETG member companies themselves come from various branches of industry, evidence of the widespread adoption of EtherCAT in China, additionally, leading companies and universities, as well as research institutions, actively study EtherCAT technology and its implementation.

Looking back at the development of the ETG in China, accrediting the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics as an official EtherCAT Test Center (ETC) in 2013 was a significant step in furthering the organisation’s work in China. In 2014, EtherCAT became a recommended national standard in China, making it even easier to implement and use the technology there.

The next step followed in 2015 when EtherCAT was included in the National Intelligent Manufacturing Standard System Construction Guidelines as one of the recommended standards for high-end machine building, as well as for intelligent manufacturing in China.

EtherCAT has not only been well established as a communications standard within industry, but has also become a major force in the Chinese market. Visits to local automation fairs prove that: There are almost no exhibitors, locals as well as those from foreign countries, which do not provide devices that communicate via EtherCAT.

Beryl Fan is pleased with the success of the ETG in China and remains convinced that positive developments will continue into the foreseeable future: “We keep working hard to make EtherCAT even stronger in China. Building on the versatile support and service we offer our members, we strive to help them enhance their performance even more – working toward the goals of the ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy.”