General Overview

Why is Profibus emerging as the most popular fieldbus today?

In deciding whether to use fieldbus technology or not, and which platform to select, it is the differences in functionality, availability of devices and support infrastructure that influence decisions today.

Profibus is now a US$50 billion market worldwide and dominates all sectors of industrial automation. A user can now choose from more than 2,500 individual devices with Profibus connectivity. With more than 1,400 members, significant infrastructure for technical support, product development and training, Profibus has established itself as the world’s leading fieldbus communication protocol.

What benefits does fieldbus technology bring to the manufacturing sector?

Fieldbus offers open common control and unlimited digital interoperability between field devices and control systems from various suppliers.

All fieldbus networks offer a variety of short and long term benefits that far outweigh the related expense. For example, a benefit of the Profibus platform is the reduced commissioning time and simplified physical layer in a new or refurbished plant.

But the greatest benefits of a fieldbus network are realised long after a plant has been commissioned, in the areas of maintenance and operations. Through fieldbus technology, a new level of asset management effectiveness can be implemented. This can significantly reduce operating costs and help manufacturers reduce costly plant shutdowns. Unfortunately, many plants currently using fieldbus technology are not benefiting from the available information. Our purpose is to help existing and new plants organise this information in a useable, efficient way so that they gain the long term advantages and reduce operating costs.

Additionally, fieldbuses make a significant contribution to streamlining the operational process by simplifying the gathering of data for Plant Asset Management (PAM) systems, and through the early detection of potential problems in field instrumentation.