Industrial Ethernet is fastest growing network for 2016.

Sales of new Industrial Ethernet nodes are growing faster than before, and now account for 38% of the market. In terms of global sales, EtherNet/IP is in first place followed by PROFINET. Traditional fieldbuses are still dominating the market for industrial networks with a 58% share and PROFIBUS is still the most widely used industrial network. Wireless technologies which are now more popular and included the first time.

The information was presented by HMS Industrial Networks, manufacturer of Anybus communication and connectivity devices in their annual analysis of the industrial network market.

Traditional fieldbus still most popular

In the fragments market of the traditional fieldbus, users ask for simplicity, tradition and reliability, and sales of newly installed nodes are growing at 7% a year and account to the largest proportion of the market at 58%.  This segment is dominated by PROFIBUS with 17% of the total world market followed by Modbus at 7%, and CC-Link with 6%.

Industrial Ethernet is fastest growing
According to HMS, Industrial Ethernet is growing faster than previous years and taking more market shares. With a an annual growth rate of 20%, Industrial Ethernet now makes up for 38% of the global market compared to 34% last year. EtherNet/IP is the number one Ethernet network with 9% followed by PROFINET (8%). Following them are EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP and Ethernet POWERLINK.

Wireless network share growing.

For the first time, wireless technologies are on the chart with 4% of the worldwide industrial network market. WLAN is most popular, followed by Bluetooth.  HMS sees the Internet of Things as a big driver for wireless technologies, for opening up new automation architectures and increasingly considered for machine connectivity and control, including solutions via tablets or smartphones

Regional facts

In Europe and the Middle East, PROFIBUS is the leading network while PROFINET has the fastest growth rate. Next are EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP and POWERLINK.  The US market is dominated by the CIP networks where EtherNet/IP is overtaking DeviceNet in terms of market shares.

In Asia, no network stands out as truly market-leading – PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, Modbus and CC-Link are widely used. EtherCAT continues to establish itself as a significant network, and there are early signs of CC-Link IE Field being adopted.

See the full press release here