Introducing PI, the largest automation community in the world. It heads a global network of vendors, developers, System Integrators and end users having a common interest in promoting, supporting and using PROFIBUS and PROFINET, industrial communications and control networks that have a lot in common with OPC.
PI hosts a large number of active Working Groups having the responsibility for developing, standardizing and maintaining PROFIBUS and PROFINET. There is also a global PI network of Test, Training and Certification services and service providers.
No other fieldbus organization in the world has the same kind of global influence and reach. It's why PROFIBUS and PROFINET are world leaders in industrial networking.
First developed in 1989 and celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2009, PROFIBUS has become the world's most successful fieldbus with over 30,000,000 installed nodes and global support.
PROFINET, a more powerful and broader offering than PROFIBUS is based on an enhanced version of the Ethernet used in offices, and is therefore a future-oriented network solution that embraces PROFIBUS - and other fieldbuses - easily as well a integrating tightly with IT systems and making enterprise management more efficient.
In general OPC fits in the area from PLC to software applications. PROFIBUS fits from the PLC to control devices. PROFIBUS is on the Control Network whereas OPC is on the Operations Network.
You can find out more at: http://www.profibus.com/community/organization/. Learn about extensive training with PI UK here Accredited PROFIBUS and PROFINET Training.