Industrial Ethernet sales are `growing at 20%`

The market for Industrial Ethernet products will grow at an average of around 20% a year for at least the next five years, according to a new report. This rapid growth reflects an increase in networking in general and, in particular, a shift to Ethernet-based protocols, says the analyst IMS Research.

The study, which covers Europe and North America, estimates that around 318,800 industrial Ethernet components were shipped in Europe last year. This number is forecast to more than double by 2008.

The study also predicts the demise of hubs in favour of switches. Devices such as PLCs and HMIs, which are enabled for Industrial Ethernet, are expected to experience a similar growth rate to the infrastructure components.

"Any manufacturer that wants to be a part of the industrial Ethernet explosion must be able to offer connectivity to the traditional Ethernet TCP/IP protocol," says John Morse, a senior market analyst at IMS. "In addition, for maximum impact in Europe, producers should think carefully about Profinet. Connectivity to other Ethernet-based technologies is a bonus at this time."

Morse warns that "the speed of change in this complex market is far greater than is normally experienced in the industrial automation industry and the situation can change very quickly. Producers and users should aim to keep abreast of the latest developments in this important area".