The HART Communication Foundation and the Fieldbus Foundation said Sept. 25 they have entered into discussions merging the two organizations into a single industry foundation.
In a joint statement, the two organizations said merging their resources would “provide significant benefits to both end users and suppliers.”
End users would benefit from a full solution that addresses all aspects of field communications and intelligent device management for the process industries.
“For suppliers, a single organization would create efficiencies in resource utilization, consistency of processes and procedures, and would deliver significant improvements in member services and support,” the organizations said.
The two organizations have already worked together on the development of common international standards such as Electronic Device Description Language and on the development of the Field Device Integration specification. The merger offers significant potential to harmonize many aspects of the two protocols, making it easier for end users and suppliers to implement the technology and obtain the full benefits of each technology in plant operations and maintenance, the organizations said.
For more information, visit www.hartcomm.org.
