SAN JOSE, Calif. - LonMark International announced that it is seeing strong gains in demand for open, interoperable systems as witnessed through gains in membership, the formation of new LonMark® affiliates, the number of newly certified products, and the growing volume of active projects requiring LonMark certified products.

In 2005, LonMark membership increased nearly 30 percent over the previous year. According to the organization, this increase is due to the successful 50+ city seminar program hosted last year, attracting over 4,000 people in North America, Europe, and Asia; and the addition of five countries to the LonMark Affiliation Program. LonMark affiliated organizations are active in Denmark, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Several LonMark affiliates are forming around the globe in Australia, China, Germany, Korea, Russia, and Singapore.

Growing demand for open systems is further indicated by the number of products certified by LonMark International last year. Following the completion of its Web-based certification and verification tool, LonMark certified over 50 products in 2005. The volume of certified products, nearly 700 to date, provides the freedom to choose the best available products from a variety of vendors, says the organization.