Our territorial instincts

People can be very territorial at times, which is probably just human nature. Thankfully we no longer have to worry about other people poaching the deer and rabbits that we are hunting, or stealing the nuts and berries that we are gathering; supermarkets do have some redeeming features. But when it comes to selling engineering products and systems, a little of the territorial nature can still come to the surface. That's not to say that it is always all bad, because sometimes it is well intentioned.

Take machinery and process safety, for instance. Safety-related components are generally designed and built to meet different standards, even when they look similar from the outside. It is also essential to install safety products correctly if they are to offer the protection for which they have been specified. In the past, therefore, suppliers have tended to concentrate on either safety-related products or non-safety-related products.

But now safety fieldbuses have muddied the waters. At first there were fieldbuses that simply carried safety-related data, and these would probably be installed in parallel with a conventional fieldbus carrying machine or process control-related data. Then along came systems such as the AS-i Safety at Work concept, which enables both types of data to be carried on the same cable (and the control and safety functions to be more closely integrated). Suddenly the traditional suppliers of safety equipment and the traditional suppliers of control equipment have found themselves hunting and gathering in the same territory.

Some of the safety suppliers have suggested that safety should be left to the safety experts, their argument being that there is a need for an in-depth understanding of the issues and regulations, which can only come from long-term experience. But this seems to be a point that has already been taken onboard by the control suppliers who are now starting to supply safety-related components to sit alongside all of the other components needed to populate a fieldbus.

Delve a little deeper and you will find that some of the traditional suppliers of control equipment have, in fact, had a range of safety products available for many years - it's just that they haven't shouted about it. Siemens, for example, has been supplying safety products since the 1960s and has therefore built up a substantial amount of experience. But some of the safety suppliers have perhaps seen Siemens as 'the new kid on the block' since it launched its Safety Integrated initiative (and AS-i safety products) last year. Mind you, since the launch of Safety Integrated, Siemens is said to have been involved with around 150 installations using the AS-i Safety at Work concept, which must add significantly to the existing experience.

Another company that has 'entered the safety market' is Omron. Again, this company has actually had safety products within its range for many years, but has just not promoted them. Now the company is actively marketing safety relays, interlock switches and light curtains, and watch out for fieldbus-compatible products in the future.

Both Siemens and Omron have therefore been arguing that they have experience and knowledge of safety issues, but they have also had the foresight to go a step further: the two have linked up with established experts in the field of safety. Siemens has appointed LC Automation, a distributor, as a technology partner for safety projects, and Omron has formed a partnership with ISS, a firm of safety consultants.

There is no denying that knowledge, understanding and experience are important for suppliers of safety-related products, and the traditional suppliers of safety equipment are going to have to learn to live alongside the control suppliers. But let's not forget one thing: a fieldbus that can carry control and safety data offers enormous advantages to many customers (though others will still need separate fieldbuses), so suppliers must be ready to provide customers with what they want.