Industrial automation is undergoing rapid evolution, driven by a push toward increased connectivity, data harmonization, and intelligent device management. The FDT Group, a leader in open and agnostic device management standards, is at the forefront of this transformation. We are spearheading initiatives to ensure seamless integration and interoperability across control system applications in the process, hybrid, and discrete markets.
The recent Hannover Messe marked a significant milestone in the realm of industrial automation. During the event, the FDT Group and FieldComm Group announced a strategic collaboration to form a single business unit. This partnership aims to advance device integration technology and harmonize control system applications across multiple protocol topologies. It addresses the industry’s need for a cohesive approach to integration across both process and factory automation, enhancing engineering efficiency, boosting plant uptime, and elevating user satisfaction.
This strategic collaboration underlines FDT’s role in fostering a unified solution for industrial device management. Under the FieldComm Group umbrella, FDT technology will thrive alongside sister technologies including FDI and PA-DIM. A new strategic integration committee will promote, manage, and maintain these integration standards, driving further innovation and interoperability. For more information on this exciting endeavor, please read the press release.
At Hannover Messe, the FDT Group co-exhibited with the OPC Foundation to demonstrate the power of FDT/DTM interfaces with OPC UA, UAFX, and Ethernet/APL, while also showcasing the modern FDT Unified Environment (UE) Server and the first FDT3-certified DTM from Flowserve. These multi-vendor and multi-protocol demonstrations highlighted FDT’s pivotal role in bridging today’s installed base with tomorrow’s innovative solutions while ensuring data harmonization and facilitating collaborations with higher-level systems and clients for comprehensive data exchange across the enterprise.
The potential of FDT technology to drive the industry forward to a modern, scalable solution fit for IIoT applications—including mobile applications and service-oriented maintenance—is becoming increasingly evident. We extend our gratitude to all the members who volunteered their time to support the FDT booth and the member community who generously contributed hardware and software solutions to make the demos successful.
As we look ahead to the upcoming ACHEMA event, the FDT Group will continue its collaborative efforts, co-exhibiting with FieldComm Group (Hall 11.0, Booth C14) and ODVA (Hall 11.0, Booth A3). Our focus remains steadfast on promoting FDT/DTM for intelligent device management, independent of platform, protocol, device type, or vendor, all within our Unified Environment.
We invite you to join us at ACHEMA in June as we continue our journey toward a future of seamless integration and innovation in industrial automation. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to advancing our industry. Together, we are shaping a smarter and more connected world.