Washington meeting showcased newest interoperability solutions.
FIATECH, an industry consortium dedicated to improving capital facilities construction through the implementation of emerging technology, focused on progress in design data interoperability for the process and chemical plant sector at an annual technology conference and showcase April 9-12 in Washington, D.C.
FIATECH, the acronym stands for Fully Integrated and Automated Technology, boasts a highly useful data referencing system that lets engineers work with tools from various vendors from a common data repository, minimizing the roadblocks of data interoperability. A reporting committee said it is advancing groundwork begun by the International Standards Organization on a standard called ISO 15926. Several FIATECH member companies are creating their own interoperable solutions in-house.
The organization has a nine-element roadmap to coordinate the efforts of its committees. Topics include scenario-based project planning; automated design; integrated automated procurement and supply networks; intelligent and automated construction job sites; intelligent, self-maintaining and self-repairing operational facilities; new materials, methods, products and equipment; technology- and knowledge-enabled workforce and lifecycle data management and information integration.
ENR sat down with Ric Jackson, FIATECH’s director, to ask him to explain the organization and its mission between conference presentations. Click here to hear an illustrated podcast of that conversation.
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