We're all in this together - an alliance that works

By Bob Stasonis Special Projects Editor

One of the pleasures I get from working with the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA) is the companies that I get to engage with. Now it’s refreshing to know that it is not just the big companies who are participating in specification development and marketing. The alliance has a broad range of companies that range in terms of the size of their business and technical expertise. This helps create a healthy standard that is truly as universal as possible in addressing customer needs.

Now I’m not faulting the big companies in the alliance, or any big company for that matter. It’s just that participation on all levels by many different sized companies ensures that the specification represents a broad spectrum of needs. It also states that these small to medium sized companies see the value of the spec as it relates to their business future, and are willing to invest their time and energy.

Of course, big companies are important to the development of any major specification. After all, they have the R&D muscle to make innovation a reality. National Instruments started PXI and big companies like GenRad (later acquired by Teradyne) and Aeroflex have helped the standard make big strides. It is also their marketing reach that really made the industry aware of PXI as an alternative to other test architectures.

But the fact that small companies have a say in the development of the specifications means it’s not just the view from the top - in other words, the marketing needs of big companies. While small to medium companies do not usually drive the market, it is through the PXISA that they can influence and shape it. In the early years of PXI, a small Irish firm named PXIT was very active in the development of the PXI specifications. PXIT also made their mark in marketing PXI to the test industry. Who can forget the keg of Guinness in the PXIT booth at trade shows?

Let me give you some other examples. Loofie Gutterman of Geotest has led the alliance admirably for many years. His leadership has helped grow the standard to the record levels we see today. Loofie’s company has provided support for the specification and the marketing programs of the alliance that one would expect from the largest companies. David Manor of Geotest has been very active in defining enhancements to the specification.

The board of directors of the PXISA is a mix of large and small companies. There is strong participation by the members, no matter what their size. Actually, when you look at the mix of small, medium, and large companies, only two of the companies are what I would classify as large corporations. And when you consider that being on the board suggests more time and energy is required, as well as a higher membership fee, the small and medium companies again see the value and step up to the plate.

Innovation is not just the realm of big corporations. Acqiris has helped lead the way in terms of greater bandwidth and sample rates in digitizer technology. JTAG technology is a driving force in Boundary Scan solutions. ADlink recognized early on the need to define a low cost, low power PXI chassis for remote applications. Pickering Interfaces has probably introduced as many if not more PXI modules than most of the members in the organization… combined!

In terms of education, the PXISA web seminars have been hosted more by the small to medium sized companies than the big boys. Goepel Electronics has stepped up to the plate several times to present some excellent seminars.

As co-chair of the marketing committee, I also see involvement by many not so mega companies. Gage Applied, Ztec, and other small to medium sized companies have submitted ideas and brainstormed with the committee to help create market awareness programs for PXI.

You want more proof? Just look at this magazine! Companies like Ascor, Digilog, Elma, and others have invested money to show their wares in this magazine.

This breadth of membership involvement (and I’ve probably forgotten to mention several companies here) insures that PXI will have a lot of new ideas and product offerings that will ensure it’s growth for many years. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “The world belongs to the energetic.” If that applies to the PXISA, then we’ve got a lot of opportunity ahead!