Excerpt:
FieldComm Group Marks Major Achievements, Technology Growth in 2017
For FieldComm Group, 2017 was a remarkable and important period of time. It began with registration of the first-ever host system conforming to the HART Communication Protocol Specification. There were also key milestones in areas such as standards development, testing and registration, as well as enhanced integration and cyber security. Finally, FieldComm Group’s annual General Assembly capped an exciting and successful 12 months. With 2017 coming to an end, it’s time to look back at the news and developments that defined the past year. There is much to cover, but at a high level these are the issues and events that stand out:
News
Receiving Best Technology Award
FieldComm Group’s field device integration technology standard, FDI, received the Best Technology award at India’s Automation Expo 2017.
Recognizing the “Plant of the Year”
FieldComm Group named the Shell Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas plant/ship of Royal Dutch Shell as its 2017 Plant of the Year.
Conducting Successful General Assembly
FieldComm Group’s 2017 General Assembly focused on the latest developments in HART, WirelessHART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, and FDI technologies.
Expanding Industry Involvement
FieldComm Group’s strategic importance in “simplifying the complexity” of process automation systems gained significant prominence.
Continuing Standards Development
To develop standards, FieldComm Group uses a collaborative working model that leverages hundreds of volunteer subject matter experts from more than 340 member companies.
Supporting Growing Regions
As part of its effort to provide localized support in the world’s growing industrial regions, FieldComm Group established a position for a regional director in the Middle East.
Presenting IIoT Webinar Series
FieldComm Group, in cooperation with Control magazine, hosted an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Webinar Series.
Publishing Control Magazine Supplements
The supplements covered subjects ranging from practical tips for digital transformation, to end user experiences with HART, WirelessHART and FOUNDATION Fieldbus technologies.
Technology
Initiating HART Host Registration
In a significant development for HART technology, FieldComm Group registered the first ever host system conforming to the HART Communication Protocol Specification.
Staging FDI “PlugFests”
FieldComm Group and PROFIBUS/PROFINET International cooperated during 2017 to stage a series of “PlugFests” to validate the interoperability promise of FDI technology.
Leveraging Asset Investments
Regardless of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) initiatives, future architectures or newly available protocols, the value of intelligent field devices did not diminish during 2017.
Enhancing Fieldbus Usability
Efforts to simplify the implementation and operation of FOUNDATION Fieldbus-based digital controls systems in the process industries continued to show progress during the previous year.
Cooperating on Physical Layer Advancements
FieldComm Group, ODVA and PI (Profibus & Profinet International) joined together on a work project to achieve and promote an advanced physical layer for EtherNet/IP, HART-IP and PROFINET.
Opening FDI Product Registration
FieldComm Group announced the availability of testing and registration for FDI Device Packages and FDI Host Systems to the industry integration standard.
Increasing Product Registration
As devices, hosts, and architectures become more complex, assured adherence to standards at the protocol and information model level is a requirement for maximizing captured value.
Offering WirelessHART Bootcamp
In 2017, FieldComm Group conducted WirelessHART Bootcamp, a multi-week online educational program led by the organization’s staff and associates.
Strengthening Integration Capabilities
FieldComm Group closed a successful year by releasing version 1.1 of the FDI Technical Specifications and version 1.2.1 of the FDI Development Tools.
Events
Exhibiting at Smart Industry Conference
FieldComm Group demonstrated how its open standards like FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART, WirelessHART and FDI help enable the IIoT at the Smart Industry 2017 conference.
Participating in Major Tradeshows and User Groups
FieldComm Group participated in major industry tradeshows and user groups at every corner of the globe.