Will Ethernet, Wireless, or Serial Networks Rule?
Factory automation (FA) networks play an increasingly integral role in the OEM machinery and production lines that typify discrete manufacturing. Wiring displacement remains a primary driver for traditional serial device networks, which rely less on COTS-based IT technology than other network types, but the compelling wiring savings delivered by traditional serial device networks is increasingly overshadowed in some quarters by the growing movement toward a single network technology, typically Ethernet, throughout the plant or enterprise.
Industrial Ethernet's standard hub-and-spoke topology offsets any potential for
wiring savings, but its rising popularity in spite of this shortcoming is indicative of the importance of integration with higher-level enterprise systems. Wireless networks, on the other hand, represent new ground for FA networks in areas such as mobility and remote access.
Continued introduction of ruggedized remote I/O, sensors, actuators, infrastructure, and other devices by a variety of industrial and commercial providers will further adoption of factory automation networks over the next five years.
Strategic Issues
Discrete manufacturing industries were some of the hardest hit by the recent global recession. FA networks continue to provide a significant value proposition in their served markets, however, and the TAM for potentially attached devices remains unsaturated.
- Which network types will reign supreme at the device level?
- How can competitors achieve and maintain competitive advantage?
- What are the best strategies for displacing traditional wiring schemes?
- Which devices hold the greatest potential for networked solutions?
- What is the role of Level 0 networks?
