Peter received a diploma in electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart/Germany in 1994 before becoming research scientist at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart/Germany. During this time, he was the responsible project manager and coordinator of the European research project OSACA (Open System Architecture for Controls within Automation Systems) as well as numerous industry-related projects in the field of control technology and industrial communication systems. In 2001 he became managing director of Sercos International, a non-profit organization responsible for the real-time communication standard Sercos. Sercos has evolved from a digital drive interface to a universal automation bus which has reached a broad acceptance especially in demanding factory automation and motion control applications. Since 2004, Peter has been member of several international and national standardization committees, including IEC SC65C (Industrial Networks) and IEC SC22G (Adjustable speed electric drive systems incorporating semiconductor power converters).