HANNOVER, Germany, April 17, 2007 -- The Fieldbus Foundation, conducting a press briefing at the Interkama 2007 Trade Fair & Exhibition in Hannover, Germany, today announced that Dr. Gunther Kegel, chief executive officer of Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH, Mannheim, Germany, has been named to its board of directors. Dr. Kegel joins other leading executives in the key automation industry post. In addition to Chairman John Berra of Emerson Process Management, current foundation board members include: Kenneth Deken, Rockwell Automation; David Eisner, Honeywell; Motofumi Matsumura, Fuji; Shuzo Kaihori, Yokogawa; Jim Porter, DuPont; Claude Ricaud, Schneider Electric; Ron Szanyi, ExxonMobil; Mark Taft, ABB; Hirozume Sone, Yamatake Corporation, John Eva, Invensys; Hans-Georg Kumpfmueller, Siemens AG; and Dr.
Gunther Kegel, Pepperl+Fuchs. Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Richard Timoney congratulated Dr. Kegel on his selection to the foundation board of directors. "Gunther Kegel brings a wealth of automation industry experience to his new post on our board," said Timoney.
"He will play an important role in helping guide the foundation's future and ensuring the continued growth of our technology around the world." Dr. Kegel studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Germany. After completing his doctoral thesis on the topic of "Integration of Sensor Signals Into Robotic Controls," he became a freelance engineering collaborator for several small-sized engineering companies. In 1990, Dr.
Kegel was employed by Pepperl+Fuchs Mannheim, a manufacturer of electronics for factory and process automation, as head of its Pre-design Department. He was subsequently named head of Pepperl+Fuchs' Development Department/Factory Automation and Division Factory Automation, and later served as its deputy managing director. Since 2004, he has served as chief executive officer of Pepperl+Fuchs Mannheim. In 2005, Dr. Kegel was named chairman of the Fieldbus Foundation's Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Executive Advisory Council.
He also serves on the board of directors for the FDT Group AISBL and on the supervisory board of the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences. Dr. Kegel has authored numerous publications in the field of sensor and interface technology, and holds positions in the ZVEI (Central Association of electrical and electronic industries in Germany) and on advisory boards of exhibition organisations.
About the Fieldbus Foundation
The Fieldbus Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation consisting of over 350 leading process and manufacturing automation companies worldwide whose major purpose is to provide an open and neutral environment for the development of a single, international, interoperable fieldbus. In this environment, end users, manufacturers, universities and research organisations are working together to develop the technology, provide development tools, support and training, coordinate field trials and demonstrations, and enable product interoperability.