Function blocks to realize connection of any devices all over the plant

International Standardization activities enabling future Smart Manufacturing have been actively considered in many standard organizations. In the current Industrial Automation systems, there are many published International Standards, such as Technical Committee No. 65 (TC65): “Industrial Process Measurement, Control and Automation” of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) developed in 1990s–2000s with riding on the “Digitalization” wave. This paper describes histories and backgrounds of Function Block technologies and mentions the expectation of its future application to realize Smart Manufacturing.