10 years of Module Type Package: Of modular adventures and plug & play successes

Ten years ago, the process industry was at a turning point. The industry was characterised by long development times, monolithic systems and immense integration efforts. Plug & Play? A distant utopia at the time. But a handful of visionaries saw an opportunity to make the impossible possible with the Module Type Package (MTP). 

The foundation stone was laid in 2013 with NE 148, which made it clear that standardised interfaces are the key to modularisation. One year later at the NAMUR Annual General Meeting, the DIMA concept was presented by sponsor WAGO - a milestone that was to revolutionise the industry. This concept was developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) and the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. Modularisation was no walk in the park. Projects such as F3 showed that not only physical, but also functional and control independence of the modules was necessary. These findings formed the basis for the first MTP concepts. With a clear vision and a goal in mind, the journey to a global standard that is now an integral part of the industry began. But the challenges were enormous. Companies had to rethink, new technologies were introduced and standardised processes established. This development required stamina, but also the courage to break new ground.

The implementation of the MTP standard required close cooperation between operators, manufacturers and standardisation bodies. The first steps were bumpy. While the technical requirements became clearer, it quickly became apparent that organisational barriers had to be overcome. Committee work, such as that carried out in seven NAMUR working groups with more than 25 companies, was essential in order to bring together the variety of perspectives and translate them into a practicable standard. Standardisation took place in the VDI/VDE/NAMUR-2658 guideline, which consisted of several sheets, including specific aspects such as communication, services and HMI. These early years were characterised by intensive discussions, countless plugfests and the constant search for better solutions. While some sceptics doubted the benefits, supporters were convinced that MTP would take the process industry to a new level. The first demonstrations of the standard were decisive milestones that strengthened confidence in the technology. Just think of the Hannover Messe 2017, where the general public was able to experience the benefits of modular production up close for the first time.

From idea to global success story 

From 2014, MTP really took off. The handover of the DIMA results to NAMUR and ZVEI in 2015 was just the beginning. In the following years, intensive work was carried out on the further development of the standard. Instead of rigid specifications, the focus was on agile, collaborative approaches. The Hannover Messe 2017 in particular marked a turning point: under the motto "The Age of Modular Production", 12 manufacturers, eight users and two universities presented MTP in action for the first time (see Figure 1). Even the then Federal Minister of Economics, Mrs Zypries, was impressed by the modular vision of the future. 

Of course, not everything went smoothly. Who doesn't remember the first VDI/VDE/NAMUR guideline on CD? A step forward - considering that only 4% of laptops still had a CD drive in 2019. But such minor setbacks could not stop the success story. In 2022, the book "MTP - Automation of Modular Plants" was published, and in 2023 the standard was handed over to the Profibus Profinet User Organisation (PNO). There, not only were the guideline sheets revised and made ready for the international market, but a new logo with a high recognition value was also created (see Figure 2). Today, organisations such as BioPhorum, ISPE and VDMA are working to further internationalise MTP.