| news4all 4 | 2022 | December 20, 2022 |
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Dear Readers,
2022 was a very successful year for the OMS-Group, as evidenced by numerous new OMS members and OMS-certified devices. The great visibility of the Open Metering System became clear, not least at Enlit Europe in Frankfurt, where the OMS Product Wall was overbooked for the first time. The booth and our first OMS Brunch were also very well attended. This OMS Newsletter also highlights Charles van Dyck's participation in the Hub Session at Enlit Europe. We look forward to a positive 2023 and will definitely be back at Enlit Europe in Paris. Enjoy your reading! We wish you a beautiful, peaceful and above all healthy holiday season! Best regards, Jörg Fischer Head of the OMS Working Group Marketing |
Enlit Europe 2022: Fully Booked OMS Product Wall and Lots of Exchanges
The OMS-Group booth from November 29th to December 1st at Enlit Europe in Frankfurt in the new, darker shade design was a great success. For the first time, the OMS Product Wall with 32 interoperable metering products from 25 members of the OMS-Group was even too small for all interested parties.
The following members found space for their products this year: Apator, Axioma Metering,  B Meters, Diehl Metering, EAD/ARASYS, Ei Electronics, Elvaco, Engelmann Sensor, E. Wehrle,
Pietro Fiorentini, Flonidan, G2 misuratori, Ing. Büro Lertes, Integra Metering, Kamstrup, Landis + Gyr, Lansen, Maddalena, PiiGAB, Qundis, Relay, Sensus, Sinapsi, Solvimus and Weptech. Visitors took the opportunity to talk to the metering experts at the booth about the OMS products exhibited and the new developments in the Open Metering System.
“The spirit of our association could be experienced at the OMS-Group booth. Members and users, as well as members of the public engaged in constructive exchanges, especially during the OMS brunch, which we hosted for the first time,” stated Jörg Fischer, Head of OMS Working Group Marketing, that organised the booth. The OMS-Group will again be present with a booth at Enlit Europe 2023, then in Paris, and will once again make the successful OMS Product Wall available to its members.
© Photos: Claudia Fiedler/Jörg Fischer |
The Enlit Europe on the Web
OMS-Group Presentation “Defining Interoperability” at Hub Session on Enlit
Charles van Dyck, former Head of the OMS Working Group Marketing, was involved in the Hub Session “Latest Developments in Technical Solutions by Associations” at "Digitalisation Hub 5" at Enlit Europe 2022. He took over the presentation from OMS-Group Board member Jens Hørdum (Kamstrup), who had to cancel at short notice.
The presentation entitled "OMS-Group: Defining Interoperability" gave an overview from the foundation of the OMS-Group in 2007 to the latest developments and future plans of the non-profit association. The Open Metering System (OMS) – supporting uni- and bi-directional communication for metering devices  – defines interoperable data security mechanisms and will focus on future interoperable security modes/models that meet cyber security requirements.
Van Dyck’s speech was followed with interest by a large audience. Afterwards, he was involved in a Panel Discussions with all participants of the Hub Session, where trade fair visitors were able to ask questions about the presentations. © Photos: Jörg Fischer
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New OMS Conformance Test Specification: Generation 4 Release 6
The OMS Working Group 3 (OMS AG3) published in July 2022 on the OMS website the new revision "Generation 4 Release 6" of the OMS conformance test specification. This release introduces the physical layer test cases for bi-directional Wireless M-Bus communication and is therefore the foundation for the upcoming test cases related to the Annex M of the OMS System Specification Volume 2, dealing with bi-directional use cases. In addition, an extended conformity test for frame format and preamble, an extended manufacturer declaration (MANDEC) and updates for certain test cases for the Wireless M- Bus link and application layer are included. Passing the extended conformity test is mandatory for successful product certifications and surveillance.
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Introduction of the Current OMS Executive Board Members: Heinz Lux and Volker Meyer
Heinz Lux, CEO at KNX Association – Association of Manufacturers developing Devices for Smart Home & Buildings based on KNX Standard –, Belgium, was re-elected to the OMS-Group Executive Board at the General Meeting 2021. Since the founding of the OMS-Group in 2007, he has been a member of the Executive Board for the founding member KNX Association cvba.
Since 2006 Heinz Lux is responsible for KNX Association concerning the standard KNX (ISO/IEC 14543), the worldwide standard for Home and Building Control. Before that, he advised the industry on their strategic projects regarding Home and Building Management & Control networks as an independent consultant. From 1990 to 2000 he was employed by Siemens in various positions related to home and building automation. 
Volker Meyer, General Manager of figawa e. V. – Association of Companies for Gas and Water Technologies –, Germany, was also re-elected to the OMS-Group Executive Board at the General Meeting 2021. He joined the OMS-Group's Executive Board in 2019 for the founding member figawa e. V.
For many years, Volker Meyer has been and continues to be active in several associations. These include, among others, convenor of CEN TC 164 WG 2 “Drinking Water Installations”, member of several national DIN Mirror Committees, member of the technical expert group “Sanitary Planning” at VDI, convenor of the German mirror committee of TC 164 WG 2 “Drinking Water Installation”, Chairman of the European Drinking Water Initiative (EDW), President of Aqua Europa AISBL and member of the Board of Directors at DVGW CERT GmbH. Volker Meyer graduated from the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences with a degree in Sanitary and Heating Technology (Dipl.-Ing.). In 2006 he joined the DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) as Senior Technical Manager. He has been Managing Director at figawa e. V. since 2014 and General Manager since 2018. |
News from the OMS-Group’s Executive Board
As you have seen in the articles above, this was a very busy and successful year for the OMS-Group. The number of companies deciding to become a member has increased again. Naturally, the idea of an open metering system turns very alluring when the cost of energy and water consumption rises, and the timely measure of said consumption is the first step to cut possible waste. 
As the person responsible for the OMS-Group, the fact that we are making a small contribution to the European Union's major goal of energy awareness and energy efficiency makes me proud. We held the annual General Meeting of the OMS-Group on the 8th of December with this thought in mind. Again, it was distributed as a live stream to all our members, but the Executive Board and the Heads of our AGs and TFs were present on the production site of the stream.
Besides the usual items in the agenda, like finances and the reports of the Executive Board and the OMS working groups and task forces, we were happy to announce that, from 2023 on, it will be possible to have OMS-certified end-devices, labelled with an OMS EU certification mark. This mark shows, on the product itself, that it is conform with the OMS Specification. This service will be available, not only to members of the OMS-Group, but to every company already having an OMS-certified device or intending to have one or more OMS-certified devices in the future. This last point is something the O in OMS stands for. We are not a closed shop where one must be a member to benefit from the results of the association's work. However, being a member brings advantages that are exclusive to the membership. So, if you have products with an OMS certification, but are not member of the OMS-Group, you should reconsider that decision. Members, who watched the speech of my board colleague Jens Hørdum during this year’s GM will know what I am talking about. 
I want to thank everybody who is active in the OMS-Group for your dedication, whether you are in the administration, or in a task force, in a working group, or in the Executive Board. Together, we will continue to develop the OMS Specification as the communication application for metering in Europe.
Thank you, have a joyous Christmas time, a healthy New Year 2023, and set your intent towards peace. © Photos: Jörg Fischer
Andreas BolderSpokesperson of the Executive Board |
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Events 2023
Meet the OMS experts! Here are some of the dates to mark in your calendar: 
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