Volume 01  |  November 2016
With more than 50 million installed Profibus DP nodes, 10 million Profibus PA nodes and 10 million Profinet nodes, Profibus and Profinet are presenting themselves to be the most proven industrial communications protocols today. HMS Industrial Networks released an independent study showing that Profibus is still the dominant industrial communications protocol, but Ethernet based protocols like Profinet are growing faster than field-bus type protocols. 

The success of Profibus and Profinet can be attributed to the support of vendors, system integrators and end users. In Southern Africa, the local Regional Profibus and Profinet association, PISA, is made up of the following members creating a tightly knit yet open forum with the aim to support end users in their decision to use Profibus and Profinet and create a local knowledge-share base:
Technical Profi-Presentations 
Why choose Profibus? Why choose Profinet? Why are these better than hard-wired systems? What are the new developments from Profibus/Profinet International? What about security? Where can I get training and support from? What's wrong with my installation? 

These are just some of the topics covered in the technical presentations presented by PISA. This year PISA presented at SAIMC technical evenings in Pretoria, Secunda and Durban. The presentation was also done to end users Debswana (Gabarone) and Rand Water. These presentations also include a live demo ranging from showing physically why a running network is not necessarily a healthy network to showing what aspects of the PROFINET protocol make it more resilient to common hacking exploits. 
Michael Garnham presents at SAIMC technical evening in Secunda
Contact us if you would like us to come do a 1 hour long presentation and demo at your company or in your region. Email us at
PCC PROFIBUS / PROFINET Tip
Get those side cutters out and remove the cable ties that are keeping your Profinet or Profibus cable firmly fastened to high voltage lines (>24V)! This will help make your network more reliable. The PCC (Profibus and Profinet Competence Centre) has been doing numerous callouts to different sites and this still seems to be a common problem. EMC from the high voltage lines causes sporadic errors on these systems.

Another common problem is running the communications cables in the same trunking as the high voltage supply cables. 

Training and using certified Profibus/Profinet Installers can help prevent these faults before commissioning. For onsite support, callouts and audits contact pcc@idx.co.za
PROFIBUS PA to PROFINET
We like it when our vendor type members come up with solutions to some complex industrial data communications challenges. One of those is integrating PA instruments into Profinet networks. It's been possible for ages to convert PA to DP though links and couplers, but an additional gateway or proxy was needed to then get this information into Profinet. The new Profinet Power Hub from Pepperl+Fuchs reduces the engineering required when integrating PA into Profinet. Find out more by contacting Pepperl+Fuchs on info@za.pepperl-fuchs.com
The first Certified PROFIBUS System Designers in South Africa: Michael Garnham (IDX), Jackson Kao (IDX), Andy Verwer (Presenter), Gasemotho Phalalo (Xaloo Tech), Kyle Roos (IDX) and Walter Chapman (Siemens).
PROFIBUS and PROFINET Training
This year, Andy Verwer from the UK presented the first Certifed PROFIBUS System Design Course in South Africa. This course goes beyond installation rules and system debugging. Concepts such as redundancy, device life-cycles, technology integration and optimized system design are just some of the topics covered. The photos on the left shows the first qualified designers. 

In Southern Africa there are two certified PROFIBUS training centres. One at Siemens and the other at Industrial Data Xchange. 
Join, participate and stay in-the-loop

We invite you to become a member of PISA and help drive Profibus and Profinet technology, whether you are a manufacturer, systems integrator, end user or other professional in the business; join PISA and take advantage of the benefits:

  • Get involved in guiding and supporting the uptake of Profibus and Profinet in Southern Africa
  • Attend meetings of PISA and learn about the latest Profibus and Profinet developments
  • Get access to the downloads section of profibus.com for the latest tools, software, specification and other documents.
  • Network with other device manufacturers and end users
To join, simply send an email request to southernafrica@profibus.com  and we will guide you through the registration process. We look forward to hearing from you!
  • Use of the registered Profibus and Profinet logos and the PISA logo
  • Member companies are able to participate in the PISA stands at trade fairs and are able to attend and invite customers to attend training seminars and events which are run by PISA
  • Exposure on email, web and presentation platforms
  • Telephonic and email support on Profibus and Profinet issues
  • Access to a forum of users, system providers and device manufacturers to get support for integration issues
  • Receive discounts on Certified Profibus and Profinet training
PI SA | +27 11 548 9977  | southernafrica@profibus.com