Fieldbuses Continue to Grow.
Regarding new nodes installed in factory automation worldwide, fieldbuses remain the most widely used type of network, holding 58% of the market. Fieldbuses continue to grow at approximately 7% per year in response to users seeking simplicity, established practices, and reliability.
The PROFIBUS fieldbus is dominant (17% of the total global market, including Industrial Ethernet), followed by Modbus (7%), and CC-Link (6%).
Industrial Ethernet is growing faster than before.
According to HMS, industrial Ethernet is growing faster than in previous years and gaining more market share, at a growth rate of 20%. Ethernet now represents 38% of the global market compared to 34% the previous year. EtherNet/IP is the number one Ethernet network with 9%, followed by PROFINET (8%). Next are EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP, and Ethernet Powerlink.
"We are seeing evidence of an accelerated transition to Industrial Ethernet when it comes to newly installed nodes," says Anders Hansson, marketing director at HMS. "However, industrial automation is a conservative market, and it will take time before Industrial Ethernet surpasses fieldbuses in usage."
Wireless communication is arriving.
For the first time, wireless technologies are on the charts with 4% of the global industrial networking market. WLAN is the most popular, followed by Bluetooth.
"We see IoT (Internet of Things) as a major driver of wireless technologies," says Anders Hansson. "Wireless opens up new automation architectures and is increasingly being considered for machine connectivity and control, including Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) access via tablets or smartphones."
Industrial Network Usage by Geographic Region:
In Europe and the Middle East, PROFIBUS is the leading network, while PROFINET has the highest growth rate. EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP, and POWERLINK are the runners-up.
The US market is dominated by CIP networks, with EtherNet/IP overtaking DeviceNet in market share.
In Asia, no single network stands out as the market leader—PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, Modbus, and CC-Link are all widely used. EtherCAT continues to establish itself as a major network, and there are early signs that the market is beginning to adopt CC-Link IE.
More and more devices are connecting.
"It's interesting to see that Industrial Ethernet is growing faster than wireless technologies and gaining ground. What is absolutely clear, however, is that the networking market remains fragmented as customers continue to demand connectivity to Fieldbus, Industrial Ethernet, and now also to wireless networks."
Study conducted by HMS Industrial Networks (Trends for 2016)
