From knowledge sharing to practice: building the future of APL together

On Wednesday 9 April a special meeting took place at FHI in Leusden. FHI and WIB jointly organised a meeting about Ethernet-APL. Suppliers and end users openly discussed the possibilities of APL.

Around noon, the visitors walk down the stairs into the atrium in small groups. Lunch is ready and host FHI guarantees that everyone feels at home. With coffee or tea in hand, the technicians stand around the standing tables. Old acquaintances, colleagues and new faces are quickly introduced to each other and the conversation immediately goes into depth – technicians among themselves.

The member meetings are a good time to renew old contacts and meet new relationships. Roelof Kuipers, branch manager Industrial Automation at FHI, calls everyone in. The room is full, 36 people in total, and Roelof enthusiastically welcomes all visitors.

Ethernet APL

Especially for this meeting we asked René Stoelinga, principal engineer instrumentation at Sabic, to take on the role of moderator. With patience and authority he gives everyone space without losing the overview and always with the goal clearly in mind: we need each other to make APL a success.

The opening presentation is a short explanation of the WIB and Ethernet-APL. “It will definitely not be a monologue”, René guarantees. “This afternoon will be an interactive session.”

The WIB is an end-user association founded in 1963. This non-profit organization is organized in working groups and aims to share knowledge and test physical equipment. The theme APL is relevant to all working groups within the WIB. “The goal of this afternoon,” says René, “is to share information between end users and suppliers.” Here he emphasizes the collaboration between the WIB and FHI. “Together we can offer tools in a transition process and build a common vision.”

Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (Ethernet-APL) is a physical layer for Ethernet communications technology that was developed specifically for the requirements of the process industry. A unique feature of Ethernet-APL is the delivery of power and communication signals over a single twisted-pair cable. Ethernet-APL meets the need for high-speed, long-distance communications.

Mentimeter

With the help of Mentimeter, the audience is actively involved in today's topic. Questions, word clouds and polls appear on a large screen. The first question splits the audience into two almost equal groups: end users and suppliers.

René cleverly plays the questions back into the room. He asks the end users present to respond to the questions of the suppliers, and vice versa. He stands enthusiastically in the middle and makes sure that everyone has a chance to speak and that no one is drowned out.

Simplicity

A recurring concept that dominates the entire afternoon is the desire for simplicity. Both among end users and suppliers. Doing more with less. Quick access to the right information. And end users want instruments to be developed from an APL perspective.

René asks the audience via Mentimeter: what are the possible key opportunities of APL?

The answers appear on the screen in cheerful word clouds. Simplicity, ease of use and plug & play are concepts that appear on the screen several times.

As usual in a room full of techies, the discussion is about the technical details. And here the mutual differences clearly emerge. Everyone has their own preference and looks at the technology from their own perspective. So many techies – so many points of view. And actually they are all right. It is not that one is right and the other is wrong. One complements the other. The moment we realize that, is the moment that this afternoon is a success.

APL is a good addition that replaces some systems and complements others. All technicians agree on this. The choice for one or the other depends on so many factors that it always remains custom work.

'Keeping it simple' is the clear common wish at the top of the list. "The man in the field must be able to work with it. New technologies must be widely accepted. And simplicity plays a crucial role in this", one of the attendees puts it very clearly.

Clubhouse

Today, FHI is the clubhouse where techies find each other and exchange ideas. Looking for practical solutions. Standing in each other's shoes and moving forward together.

At the end of the afternoon, just before drinks, René concludes: we need each other to make APL a success. The follow-up appointment is planned. The WIB shares a long list of test questions with the suppliers present. “Sharing knowledge and building hands-on experience by testing,” says René. This is the foundation on which trust and acceptance for technology is built. “The future lies with APL and together we can convince the world.”