From Instrument to Cloud with FDI

End User Beneﬁts

Asset Performance Monitoring and Optimization
Predictive device maintenance
Remote Diagnostics

FDI: Building Block of Digital Transformation

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrie 4.0 are redefining manufacturing at an unmatched level of efficiency, productivity, and performance. IIoT brings together intelligent devices, advanced analytics, and people at work; its services run in the cloud and interact with physical devices via virtual representatives – all with the aim of creating valuable insights.

FDI + OPC UA = IIoT Connected

In FDI technology, there are 2 parts to the system: the field side (Device Package) and the host side (Server). On the field side, a devices specific software and documentation are encapsulated into its FDI Device Package. On the host side, the FDI Server imports the FDI Device Package and hosts the FDI Information Model, which is accessible by any FDI or generic OPC UA Client application. In this way, FDI IIoT Gateways are able to fetch device information from the FDI Information Model via OPC UA Services and publish it to the cloud for further processing. This enables any enterprise application to access field data for business operations.

FDI supports NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA)

NAMUR aims to equip old and new plants with futuristic Industrie 4.0 monitoring and optimize operations beyond the classic automation pyramid, which consists of field level, basic automation, manufacturing execution and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA) visualizes open and secure access for monitoring and optimizing plant assets without compromising the safety, availability, and reliability of the existing installed base.

NOA enables easy and flexible integration of sensor field data to the monitoring and optimization system via OPC UA and FDI. One of the core elements of the FDI specification is an OPC-UA Server that can be built into compliant products to generate insightful data from field devices to higher-level systems to increase the transparency of plant assets and reduce production losses.