Yokogawa Electric has introduced a “Wireless Anywhere” business concept on the plant-wide use of ISA100.11a compliant wireless communication technologies for both monitoring and control applications.
Yokogawa will aggressively promote this concept to widen the use of ISA100.11a-compliant products and related services. This augments their existing “Grow” concept, which encourages the introduction of wireless communication technologies by making a case for their inherent reliability, flexibility, and openness.
“ISA100.11a field wireless network systems and devices make use of dual redundant technologies that enable a high level of reliability, and allow scalability and long-range communications.
By following up on the Grow concept with this announcement, Yokogawa is advocating the use of “ISA100.11a full functional” field wireless systems throughout plants.
Yokogawa will pursue the following three initiatives:
- Develop modularised wireless components that incorporate the various technologies in its field wireless devices. This will make it easier for vendors to implement the ISA100.11a technology in new sensor products, and accelerate time to market. By the end of 2013 Yokogawa plans to begin releasing new field wireless devices with these components.
- Work with other members of the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (ISA100WCI) to increase the number of WCI member companies and promote acceptance of the ISA100.11a standard, thereby expanding the field wireless market. To make a wider range of ISA100.11a-compliant products available to the market, Yokogawa may supply modularised components to other vendors.
- To encourage the use of field wireless systems in both monitoring and control applications, Yokogawa will seek to improve the effectiveness of plant-wide field digital networks by making it possible for wired and wireless field devices and systems to connect with host monitoring and control systems. This will necessitate the development of technologies that will ensure host systems and field devices can communicate with each other using a variety of protocols. For example, an ISA100.11a-compliant adapter would enable a wired field device to link up with a wireless network.