Fieldbus systems have a proven track record that goes back to the early 1990’s, and PROFIBUS has been at the forefront. With over 50 million nodes installed, thousands of applications, and over a decade’s worth of experience, users are installing PROFIBUS as the network of choice in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food processing, bio-gas, offshore oil production, and mining industries.

We live in a multi-protocol world – and this will likely not change anytime soon. Different protocols work better in different applications. I have not come to bury Modbus or Profibus, nor to praise them, but rather to add some perspective and knowledge. An introduction is provided to each technology on the basic underpinnings. This is followed by application examples and finally a side-by-side comparison.

“Why Use a Fieldbus?” The number one reason people don’t use a fieldbus is that they don’t know about them. Most likely they haven’t been told of the benefits. This White Paper remedies that!

The adoption of fieldbuses and device networks in manufacturing continues to grow rapidly, especially in hybrid industries. PROFIBUS, with its common communications layer, many application profiles, and breadth of media alternatives, offers manufacturers a solid long-term value proposition to protect their automation investments. This white paper shows the benefits of PROFIBUS in the process industries. And almost all process industries have a discrete need as well, hence are hybrid.