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OMAC, ISA Announce Intent to Merge Tuesday, January 25, 2005 This week OMAC–The Open Modular Architecture Controls Users' Group and ISA–The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society announced that they intended to merge, combining their missions to aid industry in the successful development and application of automation technologies. According to the announcement, the merger will allow both organizations to build on their respective strengths. The two organizations are working through the final stages of a merger that would result in OMAC functioning as a subsidiary of ISA. Remaining steps of the merger should be completed in the first half of 2005. OMAC was formed to create an organization through which companies could work together to: establish a repository of open architecture control requirements and operating experience from users, software developers, hardware builders and OEMs; facilitate accelerated convergence of industry and government developed APIs (Application Program Interfaces) to one set, satisfying common use requirements; collaborate with European and Japanese user groups in pursuit of a common international API standard; promote open architecture control development among control builders; and derive common solutions collectively for both technical and non-technical issues in the development, implementation, and commercialization of open architecture control technologies. ISA—The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society is a global, nonprofit, educational organization connecting people and ideas in automation. The Society fosters advancement in the theory, design, manufacture, and use of sensors, instruments, computers, and systems for automation in a wide variety of applications. In addition to hosting the largest conferences and exhibitions for automation in the Western Hemisphere, ISA is a leading technical training organization and a respected publisher of books, magazines, and standards. ISA currently has 33,000 Members in more than 110 countries around the world. |