Connected machines and enterprises receive help from automation standards groups

New partnerships should help provide more interoperability solutions for machines and plant systems.

A manufacturing survey from the World Economic Forum shows the lack of interoperability and standards as as sturdy challenge to IIoT adoption for manufacturers.
A manufacturing survey from the World Economic Forum shows the lack of interoperability and standards as as sturdy challenge to IIoT adoption for manufacturers.

The Industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus network installed base debate runs deep among process control users, especially with food and beverage companies as they move toward common automation platforms. In 2016, German-based HMS Industrial Networks revealed that “Ethernet installations are growing at 17 percent per year and now account for a third of all industrial networks. Fieldbus networks make up the majority of the installed base and are growing by 7 percent year.” The company also adds that those growth rates are far greater than automation equipment, in general.

Currently, Fieldbus has a foothold in many continuous process industries. However,  a favorable investment climate for the last eight years and a push for more interoperability has factory batch process applications moving to Industrial Ethernet networking.

And, more process standards groups have helped the interoperability cause through partnership agreements in 2016. OPC, Brussels-based NAMUR, the Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC), and Open Device Vendor Assn (ODVA) announced partnerships in 2016, along with the Field Device Technology (FDT) group.

In November 2016, NAMUR announced a new development with ODVA.

“NAMUR is formulating its strategy and requirements to adopt Industrial Ethernet in process automation where possible,” says Mr. Sven Seintsch, chairman of NAMUR Working Group 2.6.  “NAMUR and its Fieldbus working group welcome the opportunity to partner with ODVA, as the organization that develops and manages the EtherNet/IP technology and standards, to help accelerate adoption of industrial Ethernet in the process industry.”

Adoption of Industrial Ethernet in the food and beverage space is slowly taking shape as companies strive for more visibility with plant floor data and leaner maintenance routines. A fortune 500 food and beverage company recently updated its production network to Industrial Ethernet, with the goal to drive down operational costs. 

“The change to an Ethernet architecture for the food manufacturer wasn’t going to produce massive long-term cost capital savings for the manufacturer, but would reduce complexity, increase speed for installation and commissioning, and would provide quicker maintenance solutions, says Steve Orth, account manager for Premier System Integrators.

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