Latest CIP milestone supports growing adoption rates among vendors and users
HANNOVER, Germany, May 8, 2006 - Since the introduction of the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), which is the upper-layer protocol and object model shared by DeviceNet, ControlNet, and EtherNet/IP, companies around the world have applied this open communications networking standard to their manufacturing systems for more efficient and seamless operations. Evidence of CIP's popularity, such as in 2003 when Rockwell Automation shipped its one-millionth DeviceNet node, was reinforced this week at Hannover Messe, when ODVA announced that more than one million EtherNet/IP nodes have already shipped worldwide.
"EtherNet/IP has outpaced other Ethernet-based networks simply because it's pure Ethernet, not a proprietary implementation," said Doug McEldowney, strategic marketing manager, Rockwell Automation. "Leveraging the openness and availability of standard, unmodified Ethernet means tapping into the experience of a network that is well-established in the business world, making it easier to understand and connect industrial devices and machines from multiple vendors with the rest of the enterprise. End users see benefits in reduced wiring and installation costs, as well as additional diagnostics capabilities, space savings, the flexibility to reconfigure and upgrade a system as their needs change, and the comfort of not having to support yet another new fieldbus network."
EtherNet/IP uses the same TCP/IP and Ethernet technologies as the Web, needing no proprietary hardware or software stacks. As part of CIP, EtherNet/IP works with either commercial- or industrial-grade products, mixing the technologies for a tighter integration of information from the plant floor to the enterprise. The EtherNet/IP specification is managed by ODVA, an international association comprised of more than 250 of the world's leading automation companies.
To date, more than 150 vendors around the world support the EtherNet/IP specification, promoting nearly 400 products with EtherNet/IP connectivity. Rockwell Automation alone offers in excess of 50 EtherNet/IP products, including a recently announced expansion of the Allen-Bradley SLC 500-Series controllers. As open networks have grown in significance on the plant floor, demand for EtherNet/IP products has skyrocketed. In an April 2005 study published by ARC Advisory Group, analysts projected that industrial Ethernet will continue to grow at a rate of 51.4 percent annually through 2009.
"With a growing customer demand, Rockwell Automation will continue to deliver innovative EtherNet/IP products and harness this technology's ever-evolving functionality to provide even more benefits," said Brian Oulton, CIP networks marketing manager, Rockwell Automation. "For example, we are extremely excited about extensions, such as CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP, which provides both safety and standard networking functions on a single network. Furthermore, the CIP Motion Drive Profile work just completed and announced by ODVA for motion control applications using standard Ethernet is an absolute game changer for EtherNet/IP applications, especially when combined with CIP Safety."
Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), is a leading global provider of automation, power, control, and information solutions that help manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A., the company employs about 21,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.
For more information on EtherNet/IP, please contact the Rockwell Automation Response Center, 10701 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, Minn., 55438, (800) 223-5354, ext. 1912.
Media contacts: Carly Snyder Rockwell Automation (440) 646-4184 cesnyder@ra.rockwell.com
Sarah Voigt Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc. (612) 455-1784 svoigt@psbpr.com
Company Information: Name: Rockwell Automation Address: 1201 South Second Street City: Milwaukee State: WI ZIP: 53204 Country: USA Phone: 414-382-2000 FAX: 414-382-4444 http://www.rockwellautomation.com/
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