FieldComm Group forms liaison with OPAF

March 18, 2019
Agreement allows use of FieldComm specifications in the OPAF's upcoming Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS)

The FieldComm Group and the Open Group's Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) reported March 5 that they've formed a liaison agreement to use FieldComm specifications in the OPAF's upcoming Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS).

Previously, FieldComm Group reported its process automation device information model (PA-DIM) specification based on NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA) requirements was endorsed by the OPC Foundation and Profibus & Profinet International (PI). It adds these endorsements validate its position at the center of automation standards development and product conformance testing.

"More organizations are rallying around FieldComm and PI's joinly developed Field Device Integration (FDI) technology, and that’s one of the things OPAF wants to get out of this," said Ted Masters, president and CEO, FieldComm Group. "At the component level, you need integration. For the distributed control node (DCN) in O-PAS, you need standards for items the DCS companies would've supplied. Function blocks for controllers and field devices, for modes and outputs, must all be standardized. We look forward to working with OPAF to leverage existing FieldComm technologies and helping to define PA-DIM."

Steve Nunn, president and CEO, Open Group, added that, "The is another key milestone for the development of process automation globally. We're delighted to be working with FieldComm Group to grow our collaboration and vision of the many industries vested in automation, which are critical to vital centers of our economy. This is also a key step in our move toward developing a framework and a standard for process automation, which aims to deliver tangible benefits to multiple industry sectors. We're looking forward to progressing along this journey with FieldComm Group as a strong collaborative partner."