Why Industrial Ethernet/IP Will Continue Growth

By Paula Bernier
Executive Editor, TMC

The global industrial Ethernet/IP market will experience compound annual growth of nearly 17 percent between this year and 2021, according to Technavio.

Technavio chalks up Ethernet/IP’s ongoing growth primarily to:

• flexibility and high-speed performance,

• increased penetration of Ethernet networks in process industries, and

• its use in IIoT implementations.

“Ethernet/IP is preferred over any other protocol used for Ethernet communication due to its capability of transferring data at higher speed compared with other protocols,” Technavio noted.

That, being said, has led to its rapid growth and broad adoption over the past 15 years.

To the second point, Technavio said the complex devices with sensors and controllers on factory floors, are a good match for Ethernet/IP.

“The process industries are updating their communication networks to handle remote I/O communications and exchange at a much faster speed between office databases and factory floor,” said Bharath Kaniappan, a lead automation research analyst at Technavio. “At present, the flow of raw materials, pressure instrumentation, flow meters, controllers, and SCADA in the process industries are monitored and controlled by network protocols.”

Of course, it’s not just factory floors that are implementing the Internet of Things. A wide variety of industries are – or can – make use of connected devices to allow for new efficiencies and intelligence via automation, and data collection and analysis.

“Most manufacturers find Ethernet/IP more advantageous to be connected with automation as it offers a greater bandwidth and is continuously upgraded with technological advancements,” Technavio said. “The major reason for the preference for Ethernet/IP in IIoT automation is that the latter is highly compatible and has the capability to incorporate CIP (Common Industrial Protocol).”