JANUARY 21--KUKA Controls (Tustin, CA), a developer of real-time-operating-system software, has announced the appointment of distributors throughout the Asian region to support the burgeoning Asian marketplace. The recent expansion of its comprehensive network includes distributors and partner firms in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Real-time systems developers in the region can now take full advantage of KUKA Controls' advanced real-time solutions. KUKA's software products--CeWin and VxWin--permit the widely used real-time operating systems Wind River VxWorks and Windows CE to run simultaneously with Windows XP on a single execution platform, an Intel x86-based PC. They have been especially well received in the demanding fields of industrial automation, medical devices, measurement and instrumentation, and aerospace.
"Because the Asian marketplace has entered a vigorous growth phase, we are predicting a sharp increase in the need for our technology," stated Gerd Lammers, director of sales and marketing at KUKA Controls GmbH. "In this demanding market, our systems' advantages are especially well received. Based on standard software solutions running on standard platforms, our technology enables software architects to solve their toughest real-time problems economically, using familiar development tools and standard operating systems. It is clear that proprietary solutions are in decline, as many customer prospects have responded positively to the fact that our products are based on open systems concepts."
To guarantee its products' ability to compete successfully in Asia, KUKA Controls appointed distributors whose attention is concentrated on the most vital industrial regions. These commercial partners can not only handle the logistical aspects of the business, but have highly qualified technical staff to provide consulting services and product support, making certain that Asian customers receive high-level professional service for every phase of a project. The company maintains strong cooperative partnerships with Wind River and Microsoft Corporation to assure future product compatibility. In fact, Microsoft recently honored KUKA Controls, naming it as a Gold Partner ISV (Independent Software Vendor) in the Microsoft Windows Embedded Partner (WEP) Program, a ranking that is a special mark of trust.
The advantages of using KUKA's PC-based real-time technology include lower costs, reduced end-product size and weight, standard software and hardware components and interfaces, and improved connectivity to the enterprise. The customer is assured of producing robust and efficient products in the shortest possible time. In addition, because the two operating systems share a single execution platform, these PC systems generally have a higher mean time between failure, giving KUKA Controls' customers a strong competitive edge.
For those developers looking to evaluate the concept of working with two operating systems on a single platform, KUKA offers evaluation software, available on its site, www.kuka-controls.com, for downloading. The evaluation software is fully functional and can be used without cost for 30 days.