FDT User Workshop

Practical applications and experience exchange in focus at the recent FDT user exchange in Antwerp

The FDT Group held its 7^th User Forum on December 11 in the Aldhem Hotel in Grobbendonk, close to Antwerp, Belgium. Based on customer feedback this edition of the FDT User Forums, which already have several years of tradition, was set up as a workshop, focusing on practical applications of the technology and experience exchange.

The day started with an opening speech by the FDT Group’s chairman, Hartmut Wallraf. After two presentations on FDT basics and FDT benefits there were three workshops in which participants could learn how FDT helps them in the different phases of their plants life cycle.

Starting with “Easy Commissioning and Configuration”, the workshops were carried out in small groups, using various FDT based products from the FDT Group member companies. The life cycle was continued with “Efficient Operation and “Predictive Maintenance”.

Besides the important informal experience exchange over coffee and brunch, there as also a round table discussion, led by the moderator Frans van Laak from WIB, where users collected their feedback to the manufacturers for the further development of FDT.

The closing presentations of the day were two success stories from plants in Belgium (Papermill Langerbrugghe) and in the Netherlands (Cargill).  With over 60 participants and 30 users, the forum was a success and will be repeated in the future.

About the FDT Group AISBL™

The FDT Group AISBL is a non-profit corporation consisting of over 70 leading worldwide companies active in process and factory automation. The major purpose of the FDT Group is to provide an open and non proprietary interface for the integration of field devices with engineering, automation and asset management systems. In this environment, end users, manufacturers, universities and research organizations are working together to develop the technology, provide development tools, sup­port and training, coordinate field trials and demonstrations, and enable product interoperability.

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