SAN JOSE, Calif. - LonMark International, a non-profit international association for the certification, education, and promotion of interoperability standards for control networking, announced membership growth as it expanded coverage of the quick service restaurant industry at its LONCOM conference. Hosted at McDonald’s Hamburger University, the two-day conference attracted suppliers, integrators, and users of control systems based on LonWorks® control network technology and LonMark® open standards.

The new LonMark members - affiliated with energy efficiency software, restaurant equipment, and systems integration - include Automated Equipment LLC, C-Tech Controls, Franke Foodservice Systems, GridNavigator Inc., Kitchen Brains, Phoenix Energy Technologies, Prince Castle LLC, Robinson Solutions, and Serious Materials.

Several McDonald’s executives shared their perspectives on networked kitchen equipment and building automation systems, including Laurie Gilbert, vice president innovation with McDonald’s Corp. “We are excited about the ability to monitor, anticipate, and even act on issues before they impact the operation of our restaurants utilizing smart equipment and integrated restaurant technology,” said Gilbert. “If the technology can enable the business to take care of itself, the restaurant manager and crew can focus more attention on our customers.”

Conference topics covered a broad spectrum of subjects including Compliance and Certification Requirements for Networked Restaurant Equipment, Business Case Opportunities for Restaurant Equipment, Energy Sustainability for Multi-Site Locations, Innovative Approaches to User Interface Selection and Design, and Preparing Buildings for the Smart Grid. Presentations delivered at the LONCOM conference can be downloaded at www.lonmark.org/connection/presentations/2011/Q2/LONCOM.

Four LonMark Task Groups also met during the conference to develop interoperability profiles for building automation, automated food service equipment, lighting controls, and utility and energy equipment. The Automated Food Service Equipment Task Group devoted an entire day toward the development of profiles for restaurant equipment dealing with data collection for temperatures, equipment status, menus, safety, and energy efficiency. The organization also said that the Services Task Group made significant progress during its meeting developing functional profiles associated with scheduling, alarming, trending, and overrides.

For more information about LonMark International, visit www.lonmark.org.

Publication date: 06/06/2011