Fiber Optic Modules
Softing Acquires Phoenix Digital
The Softing Group has acquired all products of Phoenix Digital Corporation (PDC), Scottsdale, Arizona. PDC offers fiber optic modules for secure and robust data communication in the context of industrial controllers from Rockwell Automation.
With the fiber optic modules from Phoenix Digital, the Softing Group, based in Haar near Munich, Germany, complements its range of transmission media for industrial controls with optical processes using fiber optics. Softing expects the acquisition to generate additional sales of up to EUR 3 million per year in the coming years following the integration of PDC products into its portfolio. The typical target markets for PDC products include automation applications in the oil and gas, mining, chemical, water and wastewater, and general infrastructure sectors.
Phoenix Digital's patented approach to data communication with opposing optical rings is, according to the Softing Group, tamper-proof in design. The packaging of data with transmission on a fiber optic cable therefore does not require any software from the users and is easy to use. The ring topology can be activated with just one microswitch. The PDC system is based on MAC ID and not IP, so users do not need to create an IP-based system or reference tables. There is no need for programming, addressing assignments or configuration.
