Successful standardizing in China

Edgar Küster

National regulations and standards play an important role in the Chinese market and the structure of Chinese standards is, therefore, complex. Different sectors of industry have different sector standards; for example, JB is the sector standard for the machine-building industry. Then there is also the generally binding GB/T national standard, which applies to the entire industry and is not sector-specific. The GB/Z, which is a non-binding, temporary recommendation similar to the IEC TR (Technical Report), is available for new technologies, and can be converted into a binding GB/T national standard if adopted. The success of a project such as standardizing Profibus technology in China is linked to the following conditions:

Thanks to their seamless communication and universal application range, Profibus and Profinet are the leading communication systems on the Chinese automation market, with both products’ market shares growing constantly. The relevant applications cover the entire range of Chinese production and process automation.

Back in 1998, CPO, with the support of PI, initiated a project with the Chinese stand-ardization authorities (TC124/SAC) with the aim of defining a standard for fieldbus technology in China. By 2001 Profibus had already achieved the status of a Chinese JB/T (JB/T 10308.3–2001 and 2005). Various steps were taken to build on this success, which resulted in Profibus gaining the status of a GB/T (GB/T 20540.1–2006 – GB/T 20540.6–2006). During the course of other projects, Profinet was issued as a GB/Z by the Standardization Administration of China (GB/Z 20541.1/2–2006). With the adoption of Profisafe as GB/Z 20830–2007, China now has its first stand-ardized (optimum) product solution for functional safety. Thanks to these successful standardization efforts, CPO and PI have been able to define the first completely standardized system for automation and industrial communication in China. The next phase of standardization work will aim to complete the standards that have already been established, for example with the addition of the PA profile.

A basic requirement for working towards standardization in China is the foundation of an independent test laboratory. A Profibus Competence Center and Test Laboratory have been set up and are running in China since 2002. The accredited Test Laboratory (PITL) in Beijing tests Profibus DP devices in accordance with a globally uniform test specification of PI. The successful development and certification of an electromagnetic flow measuring device by SIC (a well-known Chinese manufacturer of process instruments) shows how Profibus technology has found acceptance on the Chinese market. Other manufacturers (such as SAIC) are currently busy working on developing Profibus PA devices. Due to the technology’s growing success, a second Competence Center has been set up in Beijing at the ITEI (Instrumentation Technology & Economy Institution), a test laboratory for fieldbus technologies authorized by the state. The Competence Centers offer local support, advice and training, as well as development services related to Profibus PA.

Thanks to the early standardization efforts that were made, China’s acceptance of Profibus has grown considerably. It is thought that over 1.5 million Profibus nodes are currently installed in China. The successful standardization work done for Profibus, Profinet and Profisafe, as well as the further expansion of the regional Competence Centers, will continue to drive market growth in China.