Fieldbus and HART Foundation members approve merger

October 2014 News

The final step in constructing a single organisation to lead process automation communications and integration technologies was completed when the members of both the HART Communication Foundation and Fieldbus Foundation approved the merger proposed by their respective boards through a voting process that concluded at the end of August.

The new corporation, called FieldComm Group, will be led by a board of directors composed of representatives of the collective companies from the current boards of each foundation. Hans-Georg Kumpfmueller has been elected as the inaugural chairman of the board and will lead the direction of the FieldComm Group and oversee the addition of FDI LLC in mid-2015.

The board has appointed Ted Masters as president and CEO of FieldComm Group. He currently serves in the same capacity with the HART Communication Foundation. Masters believes the creation of FieldComm Group is an unprecedented opportunity to build upon existing technologies and develop a single future vision toward harmonisation of standards for the process automation industry worldwide.

The joining of Fieldbus Foundation and HART Communication Foundation will realise the automation industry’s goal of a single, unified body to support advanced digital technology. FieldComm Group will consolidate offices in Austin, Texas, and function as a single entity beginning January 1, 2015. Until that time, the HART Communication Foundation and Fieldbus Foundation will continue to operate independently.

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