CKD, a leading manufacturer of fluid control instrumentation and automation solutions based in Komaki, Aichi, Japan, is the newest member of FDT Group. This independent, international, not-for-profit industry association consists of leading companies and organizations active in industrial automation and manufacturing. Its major purpose is to provide an open standard for enterprise-wide network and asset integration for seamless exchange of performance driven data.
Founded in April 1943, CKD provides automated machine systems and devices, pneumatic control components, fluid control components, and drive and fine system components for a wide range of demanding applications. The company operates plants in Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia, and has sales offices all over the world. Its products are used in the automotive, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries, among others.
CKD Hiroyuki Mizuno, General Manager, said, “FDT Group membership will provide new business opportunities to our company. FDT technology is a recognized integration standard developed with an open architecture to meet today’s changing industry demands. This solution enables secure connectivity throughout the system and provides end users with peace of mind that newer solutions will plug and play.”
He added, “CKD will study the feasibility of developing a Device Type Manager™, or FDT/DTM™, for use with EtherCAT-compatible pneumatic valves and other field devices in the future.”
FDT Group Managing Director Glenn Schulz welcomed CKD to his organization and praised the company’s proven commitment to automation industry technology advancement. “CKD is a forward-looking company that recognizes the benefits of FDT, which is built to support the connected world of industrial automation networks and assets. Standardized independent of network protocols, FDT allows for a comprehensive integration model for connecting intelligent assets relaying device-specific diagnostic data across the industrial enterprise.”
FDT technology is recognized for transforming the way industrial automation architectures connect and communicate with one another. Ongoing development of this technology will enable end users to realize the true potential of decentralization, interoperability, integration, as well as a unified view of all data and functions across process, factory and hybrid control applications.
To advance its support for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrie 4.0, and to simplify the automation ecosystem exchange, FDT Group has developed the FDT IIoT Server (FITS™) solution. FITS enables mobility, cloud, and fog enterprise applications, as well as sensor-to-cloud and enterprise-wide connectivity employing FRAME™ and DTM business logic at the heart of its client-server architecture.
FDT Group membership offers unique advantages for the entire industrial automation industry, including end users, suppliers/developers, service providers, universities, and individuals. Members are involved with providing innovative FDT-enabled products, solutions and services, and have the opportunity to join working groups, technical project groups and marketing committees to help direct the technology.