Keeping an Eye on Technology Futures, No Hidden Agendas, New Attitudes, No Platitudes!
If you're in the automation business you've heard about Fieldbus. Over the past couple of decades the attempt to define the SP-50 standard for industrial automation networks went round and round till it finally fizzled out into a European IEC committee definition of 8 different standards.
After years of squabbling, the selection of not one but EIGHT "standards" was nothing short of funny. It couldn't be described in anything but poetry. You might wish to take a look at some of my Fieldbus poems - weblinks below.
My friend Dick Caro is an acknowledged automation networks guru, with several books and countless papers and speeches on the subject. His article on where Fieldbus now stands was published in the April 2007 issue of ISA's InTech.
Dick Caro's opinion is clear:
Dick's advice for network selection: All networks are adequate. Use your favored supplier and their network, or use a supplier who supports your chosen network.
My intent is not to dwell on past poetry, but to utilize past experience to raise the flag on the new Wireless standards now being debated by the SP-100 committee. One frustrated committee member says SP100 = SP50 x 2. This standard too is doomed to being talked into nothing.
Here's the problem: Everyone major company wants their own proprietary products to become the standard. As soon as any one camp seems to be in a good position, competitors start to bring up impossible objections. And the merry-go-round goes round and round.
One wonders why no one at these meetings sees this point. Actually, many people recognize it - and some have resigned in disgust. But there are always others who continue the interminable committee posturing.
