Third FDT user forum in Basel

The FDT Group held its third User Forum on 28 June 2007 in the Congress Center of Basel, Switzerland. The forum is a platform where end users and suppliers exchange practical experience in implementing the FDT technology in their process plants and give feedback to the FDT Group about their requirements and priorities for technology enhancements.

Attendees were able to see a live multivendor demonstration of FDT's interoperability between several frames and devices. The Höchst-based independent test lab BIS presented the results of last year's FDT interoperability test.

The FDT Group presented an update on the latest FDT developments, as well as tabletop exhibitions of FDT devices and products from 10 manufacturers for process and factory automation.

The day was concluded by a round table where end users gave feedback to the manufacturers for the further development of FDT. Noteworthy were the requests for frame certification and a strong focus on the DTM Style Guide and interoperability.

The DTM certification process has been enhanced with tests for Foundation Fieldbus, Interbus and DeviceNet. Interoperability was the subject of different workshops and tests over the year and a project group started working on use cases for frame certification.

The FDT Group AISBL is a non-profit corporation consisting of over 55 leading process and factory automation companies worldwide whose major purpose is to provide an open and non-proprietary interface for the integration of field devices with engineering, automation and asset management systems.