The final step in constructing a single organization to lead process automation communications and integration technologies was completed at the end of August when the members of both the HART Communication Foundation and Fieldbus Foundation approved the merger proposed by their respective boards.
Ted Masters
The new organization, called FieldComm Group, will be led by a board of directors composed of representatives of the collective companies from the current boards of each foundation. Hans-Georg Kumpfmueller has been elected as the inaugural chairman of the board. Kumpfmueller will lead the direction of the FieldComm Group and oversee the addition of FDI LLC in mid-2015.
Kumpfmueller has served as a leader in setting the course of device integration in his role as chairman of the FDI LLC board and as CEO of Sensors and Communication at Siemens. He is convinced the formation of FieldComm Group is "a major step forward for the process industries by leveraging the strengths of each industry-leading protocol and adding the value of the next-generation integration strategy."
The board has appointed Ted Masters as president and CEO of FieldComm Group. He currently serves in the same capacity with the HART Communication Foundation.
During the transition and integration of the two organizations, Richard Timoney will serve as executive vice president of FieldComm Group. Timoney currently is president and CEO of the Fieldbus Foundation.
FieldComm Group will consolidate offices in Austin, Texas, and function as a single entity beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Until that time, the HART Communication Foundation and Fieldbus Foundation will continue to operate independently.
