To accelerate deployment of the Field Device Integration (FDI) technology, key process automation suppliers agreed to enlarge the scope of the EDDL Cooperation Team and will become the FDI Cooperation.

This cooperation will initially consist of the associations: FDT Group, Fieldbus Foundation, HART Communications Foundation, OPC Foundation and PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation, as well as the companies ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Invensys, Siemens, and Yokogawa.

The FDI project was kicked-off at 2007 Hanover Fair. At this time ECT welcomed FDT Group with the primary objective of harmonizing EDDL and FDT/DTM technologies. Since then, the project has carefully shaped the technology direction for the converged FDI solution.  The addition of supplier companies, which have agreed to support FDI packages in their systems and products, will strengthen this effort by providing resources for the completion of this project.

Besides the finalization of the FDI specification, which is scheduled for mid 2010, the scope of the enlarged EDDL Cooperation Team is covering common design and test tools, common binary format and interpreter across the protocols of HART, FF and PROFIBUS.

The intent is to assure a uniform device integration solution for process industries across all host systems, devices and protocols as required by end users.

The FDT Group industry standard, IEC 62453, presently supports and integrates all process and factory automation networks and protocols. The process industry membership of the FDT Group has clearly voiced their requirement that the binary version of the EDDL files be harmonized across the three major process networks. We look forward to reaching this milestone more quickly with the help of our new FDI members.

The FDT Group continues its leadership role in the FDI organization for the betterment of the process industry and to ensure compatibility of the FDI package within the broader FDT standard. We warmly welcome these companies as they join us in those efforts.