FieldComm Group announced the completed acquisition of FDT Group’s assets, including the FDT/DTM technology standards. The transaction, FieldComm Group says, underscores its commitment to addressing industrial device management challenges across the entire industrial automation market.
With a technology suite including Information Models, the Field Device Integration (FDI) standard and well-established communication protocols like HART, HART-IP, WirelessHART and Foundation Fieldbus, FieldComm Group's market offerings serve the entire process automation sector. The addition of FDT/DTM technology, a widely deployed device integration standard across process and factory automation markets, adds new technologies to the portfolio, completely addressing the industrial automation hierarchy.
“As digitalization transforms the automation industry by breaking down barriers between operation technology and information technology, the integration of factory and process automation devices becomes both more important and more difficult. Our aim as a standards organization is to add intelligence to the device integration process, with an ultimate goal of making it simpler,” says Ted Masters, president and CEO of FIeldComm Group. “Ends users and suppliers will benefit greatly from this acquisition by having a single standards development organization responsible for the full spectrum of device integration from the simplest sensor to the most complex field instrument.”
FieldComm Group says millions of already installed devices in the field use both FDI and FDT technology for intelligent device management, and the company is now better positioned to address the industry's evolving needs, improve interoperability, and streamline integration and lifecycle management procedures for the future.
As part of the acquisition, FieldComm Group announces the formation of a Strategic Integration Committee (SIC), under the leadership of industry expert Steve Biegacki, former managing director of the FDT Group. The SIC will drive advancement of integration standards, including FDT/DTM and FDI, ensuring proactive management and maintenance of these technologies. The committee will initially be composed of FieldComm Group Board-level company representatives, with planned expansion to include representatives from other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs). The SIC aims to collaboratively work to preserve the existing installed base and chart a standardization roadmap for a unified device management platform, ensuring interoperability across existing protocols, as well as future technology evolution, including OPC UA FX.
Our focus is on unified device configuration and a migration path to the future," said Steve Biegacki. "At FieldComm Group, we are committed to seamless integration and enhanced operational efficiency for the entire automation industry."
"We are thrilled to welcome FDT/DTM technology into the FieldComm family," Masters says. "This acquisition marks a significant leap towards a unified integration standard for the industry. With Steve Biegacki leading the SIC, we are ready to steer the industry towards a more integrated and efficient future."
