The Ethernet-APL Revolution is Approaching Our Plants

With Ethernet-APL, IT/OT convergence is brought to a next level. High-speed communication to field devices, elimination of complex infrastructure to extract data from the field, and simplified engineering and maintenance are key advantages. Yet, due to experiences with fieldbus technology, Ethernet-APL is considered as process industry’s last chance for digital field communication. This article presents key success factors. Furthermore, it summarizes the joint community effort by end users and vendors to prevent the repetition of flaws experienced during the past fieldbus introduction.