The Automation Federation, an umbrella organization for societies involved with process control and automation, now is being formed. The federation boasts ISA (formerly the Instrument Society of America), Research Triangle Park, N.C., WBF (formerly the World Batch Forum), Longwood, Fla., and OMAC (the Open Modular Architecture Control Users’ Group), Research Triangle Park, N.C., as its initial members. A managing director to lead the Federation should be hired this summer.
“The Automation Federation will give members the opportunity to interface with different segments of the automation world, thereby expanding their influence and increasing their effectiveness,” explains ISA president Ken Baker. “The Federation members will work together to manage strategic programs and technical working groups comprised of members from all constituent organizations. At the same time, we expect each member organization to continue as distinct entities fulfilling their respective missions,” notes Andy McDonald, OMAC chairman. “Finally, the automation industry has a one-stop shop for authoritative knowledge,” adds WBF chairman Maurice Wilkins.
