Andre Uhl and Shinji Oda assume key automation industry posts
The FDT Group, an independent, international, not-for-profit industry association supporting FDT® Technology, today announced that Andre Uhl, director, device lifecycle platform for Schneider Electric Automation GmbH; and Shinji Oda, general manager, technology marketing, Yokogawa Electric Corporation; have been named to its board of directors.
The FDT Group Board of Directors sets the organizational strategy for the FDT Group and provides governance over the open FDT standard, which directly benefits the global manufacturing industries with state-of-the-art technology intended to increase efficiency.
Mr. Uhl and Mr. Oda replace board members Friedrich Götz, Schneider Electric; and Kimikazu Takahashi, Yokogawa, respectively, due to their retirement. Other current members include: Lee Lane, Rockwell Automation (chairman); Francois Ichtertz, Endress+Hauser; Michael Kessler, PACTware; and Hans-Juergen Koch, Phoenix Contact.
FDT Group Managing Director Glenn Schulz congratulated the newest board members. “We appreciate the service Friedrich Götz and Kimikazu Takahashi provided to our organization. Andre Uhl and Shinji Oda bring a wealth of automation industry experience to their new posts on our board,” Schulz said. “They will play an important role in helping guide the FDT Group’s future and ensuring the continued growth of our technology around the world.”
Mr. Uhl has many years of experience in the industrial market managing R&D development centers for industrial & motion control applications. This includes developing automation solutions and flagship products for the Machine Builders market. He has been an active participant in the transformation of Schneider Electric from a product supplier towards a provider of complete solutions.
Mr. Oda joined Yokogawa in 1986 and has played a key role in the development of successive CENTUM Distributed Control System (DCS) offerings. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Oda served as head of Yokogawa’s Development Center in the US; and from 2009 to 2014, he was head of the company’s Development Center in Singapore. Mr. Oda has been in his current position since April 2014 and is responsible for Yokogawa’s strategy in international standardization and consortia activities.
About FDT Group AISBL
The FDT Group AISBL is an international non-profit corporation consisting of over 100 leading worldwide member companies active in industrial automation manufacturing — whether it be process, factory or hybrid. The major purpose of the FDT Group is to provide an open and non-proprietary standardized interface for the integration of field devices with engineering, automation and asset management systems. In this environment, end users, manufacturers, universities, and research organizations are working together to develop the technology; to provide development tools, support, and training; to coordinate field trials and demonstrations; and to enable product interoperability.
FDT® is a registered trademark of the FDT Group AISBL.
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