PRESS RELEASE: FieldComm Group Strengthens Role as the Home of Process Automation Standards and Compliance – Relationships with, OPC Foundation, NAMUR, PROFIBUS/PROFINET International
Process Automation Device Information Model Enables Protocol Independent Solutions
AUSTIN, Texas, February 5, 2019 – FieldComm Group has announced the endorsement of its process automation device information model specification (PA-DIM), based on NAMUR requirements, by the OPC Foundation (OPCF), and PROFIBUS&PROFINET International (PI). This announcement serves as validation of FieldComm Group’s position at the center of process automation standards development and product conformance testing.
Announced at the 2018 ARC Forum, FieldComm Group and the OPC Foundation presented their joint vision for creating a protocol independent, process automation device information model (PA-DIM) specification to implement the requirements of the NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA). PROFIBUS&PROFINET International is now participating in this vision.
According to Ted Masters, “The goal of PA-DIM, when used alongside registered products that support FieldComm Group and PI’s joint FDI technology (Field Device Integration), is to simplify field device integration to systems and clouds, as recommended by NAMUR and ZVEI, by standardizing on a single information model that supports the many field device protocols used in process automation including HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, ISA100.11a, PROFIBUS PA, PROFINET and WirelessHART.”
“Using the OPC UA based PA-DIM with FDI products will enable end users to dramatically reduce time to market for advanced analytics, big-data, and enterprise cloud solutions that can often rely on information from thousands of geographically dispersed field devices that use multiple process automation protocols,” stated Stefan Hoppe, President and Executive Director, OPC Foundation.
“Industry 4.0 requires a high degree of digitization and standardization, which triggers a need for a series of future-oriented innovations in the field of industrial automation. For PI, PA-DIM is one of the essential enabling technologies that support this fact. PI is looking forward to continuing the years of successful cooperation with FieldComm Group and OPC Foundation in the new field of standardization of PA-DIM,” confirmed Dr. Peter Wenzel, Executive Director, PI Germany.
Standards development working groups are actively engaged in finalizing specifications for the first release of PA-DIM during the first half of 2019.
Additional Resources: Process Automation Device Information Model (Technical White Paper)
About FieldComm Group
The FieldComm Group is a global standards-based organization consisting of leading process end users, manufacturers, universities and research organizations that work together to direct the development, incorporation and implementation of new and overlapping technologies and serves as the source for FDI technology. FieldComm Group’s mission is to develop, manage, and promote global standards for integrating digital devices to on-site, mobile, and cloud based systems; provide services for standards conformance and implementation of process automation devices and systems that enable and improve reliability and multi-vendor interoperability; lead the development of a unified information model of process automation field devices while building upon industry investment in the HART®, FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus and FDI™ standards. Membership is open to anyone interested in the use of the technologies. For more information, please visit www.fieldcommgroup.org.