Two leading industrial communications organizations, the Fieldbus Foundation and HART Communication Foundation, have entered into discussions about a possible merger into a single industry foundation dedicated to intelligence device communication in process automation.

"We believe combining the resources and capabilities of each foundation into a single organization will provide significant benefits to both end-users and suppliers. For end-users, a single organization that combines the power of both Fieldbus Foundation and HART Communication Foundation would provide a full solution that addresses every conceivable aspect of field communications and intelligent device management for the process industries,” Dr. Gunther Kegel of the Fieldbus Foundation and Mr. Mark Schumacher of the HART Communication Foundation said in a statement.“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 Fieldbus Foundation and HART Communication Foundation have worked together closely in the past, including on the development of common international standards such as Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and Field Device Integration (FDI) specification. The organizations say a merger offers the potential to harmonize many aspects of the two protocols, making it easier for end-users and suppliers to implement the technology and reap the full benefits in terms of plant maintenance and operations.