Author: Thomas Hilz

Driven by the digitalization of field devices in the process industry, the growing importance of predictive maintenance and the increasing possibilities offered by centralized field device configuration, digital communication protocols like HART-IP are on the rise. In addition to providing access to a device’s process variables, the protocol also supports device parameter setting and advanced diagnostics. HART-IP will therefore play an important role in enabling the Industrial Internet of Things in process plants. Softing supports HART-IP technology and offers an NOA-compliant gateway with its smartLink DP product.

Field devices in modern plants in the process industry can give operators detailed information about the condition of the plant. The collected data helps in planning preventive maintenance work and in optimizing production processes. Together with the US company Emerson, Softing has developed connectivity solutions to help customers use this data to improve plant productivity and increase lifecycles