PXISA reaches out to China
By Richard Quinnell, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 9/1/2008
In May, the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA) held its fifth technology conference in China to help foster the adoption of PXI in the growing industrial giant. New initiatives this year included an entire track on module creation and the first PXISA general meeting held in China.
“Next-generation test systems such as PXI are very popular in China,” said PXISA marketing co-chair Matthew Friedman, “and the growth in China has been amazing.” This year's conference achieved record attendance levels, with more than 550 engineers and vendors participating. Friedman explained that one of the most popular venues was the new technical track on module development. “It was standing room only for the entire track,” he said.
The addition of the developer's track reflects growing interest within China to develop PXI modules both for internal use and for outside sales. “In past years, the event focused on the use of PXI,” said Friedman, “but now people there are looking at development. They love the idea of creating their own modules to meet their unique test needs.”
To ensure that development adheres to standards, the PXISA invited test equipment vendors to a general meeting, held concurrently with the conference. “A key reason the PXISA exists is to help maintain the spec and ensure interoperability,” said Friedman, “so we have a focus on the Asian community to help keep them on spec.”
The meeting was open to PXISA members, nonmembers, and the Chinese technical press. Committee chairs presented updates on technology development as well as on PXISA marketing efforts. “There are some companies developing modules that don't know much about the PXISA,” said Friedman, “and we wanted them to learn about the benefits and technical help that membership makes available.”
The outreach to China is already showing results. Both Jovian and the Automatic Test and Control Institute at the Harbin Institute of Technology have expressed interest in joining the PXISA.
Technical chair Mark Wetzel noted, “I was impressed to see the tremendous interest in developing PXI modules and expect to see many new PXI products from Chinese companies in the near future.” Friedman added that the activity in China underscores the fact that PXI is a global standard that is continuing to grow.
