A fluid control system comprising: a communication module, a communication card, a series of I/O modules, a fieldbus network, and an external controller selected from a group comprising a Programmable Logic Computer, an Industrial Personal Computer and a Distributed Control System, wherein the communication module is connected to the fieldbus network controlled by the external controller and the communication card; a plurality of manifold units interconnected together with the communication module and the series of I/O modules, each manifold unit including a manifold block mounting one or two solenoid control valves on its upper surface; a field device including a piston and cylinder assembly with a piston, the piston and cylinder assembly being pneumatically connected to one manifold block of the manifold unit, the piston being slidably movable within the cylinder between a retracted end and an extended end of the cylinder, and two position sensors (80, 81) for detecting a respective end position of the piston in the piston and cylinder assembly at the end of an actuation cycle wherein the position sensors (80, 81) are each electrically connected through two electrically conductive cables (86,88) to a separate input (82, 84) of a respective I/O module corresponding to the solenoid control valve that is pneumatically connected to the field device; a detection sensor for detecting the commencement of the actuation cycle for moving the piston in the piston and cylinder assembly; a timer (Tn) configured to time an elapsed time between an initiation of the actuation cycle of the piston as sensed by said detection sensor for detecting the commencement of the actuation cycle and when one of said position sensors (80, 81) for detecting the end position detects the piston in its end position at the end of the actuation cycle; a storage device operably connected to said sensors configured to receive parameter data for establishing a normalized cycle profile and storing a predetermined tolerance boundary determined from said normalized cycle profile; a comparator operably connected to the storage device and said sensors configured to compare the elapsed time from said sensors to said normalized cycle profile and said predetermined tolerance boundary; and an alarm device operably connected to the comparator, that is actuated if the comparator compares the lapsed time from said sensors with said normalized cycle profile and said predetermined tolerance boundary and determines the elapsed time is outside of said predetermined tolerance boundary; wherein the timer (Tn), the storage device, the comparator and the alarm device are housed in the communication module or the respective I/O module that is connected to the communication module. a communication module, a communication card, a series of I/O modules, a fieldbus network, and an external controller selected from a group comprising a Programmable Logic Computer, an Industrial Personal Computer and a Distributed Control System, wherein the communication module is connected to the fieldbus network controlled by the external controller and the communication card; a plurality of manifold units interconnected together with the communication module and the series of I/O modules, each manifold unit including a manifold block mounting one or two solenoid control valves on its upper surface; a field device including a piston and cylinder assembly with a piston, the piston and cylinder assembly being pneumatically connected to one manifold block of the manifold unit, the piston being slidably movable within the cylinder between a retracted end and an extended end of the cylinder, and two position sensors (80, 81) for detecting a respective end position of the piston in the piston and cylinder assembly at the end of an actuation cycle wherein the position sensors (80, 81) are each electrically connected through two electrically conductive cables (86,88) to a separate input (82, 84) of a respective I/O module corresponding to the solenoid control valve that is pneumatically connected to the field device; a detection sensor for detecting the commencement of the actuation cycle for moving the piston in the piston and cylinder assembly; a timer (Tn) configured to time an elapsed time between an initiation of the actuation cycle of the piston as sensed by said detection sensor for detecting the commencement of the actuation cycle and when one of said position sensors (80, 81) for detecting the end position detects the piston in its end position at the end of the actuation cycle; a storage device operably connected to said sensors configured to receive parameter data for establishing a normalized cycle profile and storing a predetermined tolerance boundary determined from said normalized cycle profile; a comparator operably connected to the storage device and said sensors configured to compare the elapsed time from said sensors to said normalized cycle profile and said predetermined tolerance boundary; and an alarm device operably connected to the comparator, that is actuated if the comparator compares the lapsed time from said sensors with said normalized cycle profile and said predetermined tolerance boundary and determines the elapsed time is outside of said predetermined tolerance boundary; wherein the timer (Tn), the storage device, the comparator and the alarm device are housed in the communication module or the respective I/O module that is connected to the communication module.