With regard to newly installed nodes in factory automation, Industrial Ethernet has overtaken traditional field-buses. This is the key finding of HMS Industrial Networks' annual study of industrial network market share.
The share of Industrial Ethernet in newly installed nodes is 52 per cent (previous year 46 per cent), that of field-buses 42 per cent (previous year 48 per cent). EtherNet/IP is the most frequently installed network worldwide with 15 per cent, followed by Profinet and Profibus with 12 per cent each. Wireless technologies are also represented with a 6 per cent market share.
HMS Industrial Networks presents the annual Industrial Network Market Assessment, focused on newly installed nodes within factory automation. As an independent provider of products and services for industrial communication and the Internet of Things, HMS has in-depth insight into the industrial network market. HMS sees some trends for industrial communication in 2018, but also looks back at the development of the market shares of industrial networks over the last 5 years
Industrial Ethernet – growth through IIoT
For several years, Industrial Ethernet networks have grown faster than traditional field-buses and have now overtaken the latter. With a growth rate of 22 per cent, Industrial Ethernet now has a market share of 52 per cent worldwide, compared to 46 per cent in the previous year. With a market share of 15 per cent, EtherNet/IP has become the most widespread network, followed by Profinet, EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP and Ethernet Powerlink.
"We followed the development closely and the transition to Industrial Ethernet was foreseeable, but only now has it overtaken field-buses in terms of the number of newly installed nodes," says Thilo Döring, Managing Director at HMS. "The main drivers for Industrial Ethernet are the need for high performance, the integration of factory installations and IT/IoT systems, and the Industrial Internet of Things in general."
Fieldbuses are still widespread, but decline expected
Thanks to strong industry and cyber security concerns, field-buses are still growing slightly. Nevertheless: Although the field-buses have increased slightly with a growth rate of 6 per cent (previous year 4 per cent), it can be assumed that the number of field-bus installations will steadily decrease over the next few years. The dominant field-bus is still PROFIBUS with a 12 per cent global market share, followed by Modbus-RTU and CC-Link with 6 per cent each.
Wireless is redefining the image of networks
Wireless technologies are growing by 32 per cent (previous year also 32 per cent) and makeup 6 per cent (previous year also 6 per cent) of the overall market. Within wireless, WLAN is the most widely used technology, followed by Bluetooth. “Wireless is increasingly being used by machine builders and system integrators to implement innovative automation architectures. Users can reduce the amount of cabling and implement new solutions for connectivity and control, including Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – using tablets or smartphones,”
Regional differences
In Europe and the Middle East, Profinet and EtherNet/IP are leading. Profibus is also still widespread there. Other popular networks are EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP and Ethernet POWERLINK. The US market is dominated by CIP networks, with a clear shift towards EtherNet/IP. No network is the market leader in Asia, but Profinet, EtherNet/IP, Profibus, EtherCAT, Modbus and CC-Link are widespread. The Ethernet version CC-Link IE Field is also gaining in importance.
Looking back at 5 years of industrial network growth
A special feature of this year's study is that HMS can look back on 5 years of steady growth in industrial networks. HMS concludes that in 2017 Industrial Ethernet finally overtook field-buses in terms of market share. “The growth of industrial networks has continued steadily over the past 5 years. It's interesting to see that Industrial Ethernet outstripped traditional field-buses and currently accounts for 52 per cent of the market, EtherNet/IP has established itself as the leading network,” says Thilo Döring.
“Nevertheless, our study also confirms that the networking market remains fragmented - users continue to ask for connectivity to a variety of different networks, depending on the application. Looking to the future, it becomes clear that industrial devices will increasingly be networked with one another through the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. From our point of view, we are well-positioned to grow with these trends. Because as our claim 'Connecting Devices' says, that's what HMS is all about.”
