The organization formerly known as the Open Modular Architecture Control Users' Group (OMAC) has changed its name. It is now the Organization for Manufacturing Automation and Control, meaning the OMAC acronym will stay the same. This name change reflects the evolution of the organization's mission.
The new name, announced on June 23, was proposed at the Board of Directors Meeting at the ARC Forum last February in Orlando, Fla., and was recently approved by the OMAC Board of Directors, along with a new mission statement: "OMAC is the organization for Automation and Manufacturing Professionals that is dedicated to supporting the machine automation and operational needs of manufacturing."
Getting broader
The new mission statement and name change are a result of member feedback from last year’s Technical Symposium and working group meetings, OMAC said. The changes reflect the vision and value-added proposition the new OMAC has to offer. As the new name implies, the potential membership base has dramatically increased to include a broader audience.
In addition, the OMAC Board of Directors has decided to update the OMAC logo: The words “Users Group” have been removed to better reflect the growth of OMAC.
OMAC's transitional plan is in place and includes a corporate membership drive, the upcoming OMAC Technical Symposium, and further development of the OMAC Technical Advisory Board (TAB).
Corporate membership was introduced earlier this year, allowing companies to take a more active role in shaping OMAC as an organization and how it affects industry through their seat on the OMAC TAB. This group will function in an advisory role to the OMAC Board of Directors and focus on the “technical” aspects of OMAC operations and working groups.
Symposium plans
OMAC will hold its 2nd annual OMAC Technical Symposium Dec. 3-4 in Charlotte, NC. The event will be hosted by Okuma America Corp., and Partners in THINC (a multi-company production line test facility), in Charlotte, and will accommodate 80 guests. This year's theme will be Total System Evolution.
As part of the new mission, OMAC has reached out to WBF (formerly the World Batch Forum) to plan a joint conference in 2009. This joint conference will help OMAC broaden the audience of what it does as part of the overall picture of the automation profession, the organization said.
In announcing the name change, OMAC said it welcomes everyone interested in helping OMAC continue to grow in its efforts to improve industry. Interested professionals can join as a corporate or individual member at www.omac.org/membership.
Organization for Manufacturing Automation and Control
www.omac.org
