Summer 2017 has seen the global footprint of CC-Link IE and CC-Link reach a new high, with the number of CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) member companies passing 3,000. With this surge in members, CLPA is helping to drive the digitalization of manufacturing which is central to the goals of IIoT and Industry 4.0.
Furthermore, double-digit year-on-year growth (since 2015) has seen the number of installed devices increase from approximately 17 million in March 2016 to more than 19 million at the end of March 2017. Today the installed base is well its way to passing the 20 million mark.
CLPA-Americas director Robert Miller comments: “The rate of new installations continues to grow at a double digit pace as more and more users come to appreciate the benefits of our technology. The industry leadership of CC-Link IE has proved to be crucial, being the first industrial Ethernet technology to provide gigabit transmission rates with full determinism. Given the current move toward Industry 4.0 applications and the bandwidth required for their success, it’s not surprising that its user base is growing so quickly.”
With its roots in Japan, CC-Link IE and its fieldbus counterpart, CC-Link, have long been the de facto networking standards across Asia. But recognition of their key attributes has seen them become an attractive networking option in the United States as well as across Europe, with adoption in a variety of industries such as automotive, consumer packaged goods and water. With CC-Link IE offering up to ten times the bandwidth of other Ethernet protocols, it offers a ‘future proof’ option that supports the rapid increase in process data being generated by manufacturing applications.
This leading bandwidth offers a further benefit to end users and machine builders looking to reduce the total cost of ownership for their systems. CC-Link IE offers the possibility to combine control, motion, energy and safety operations on a single network architecture, meaning that the design, cost and maintenance issues of multiple dedicated networks is now a thing of the past.
Robert Miller concludes: “The growth in members to more than 3,000 means that CC-Link IE and CC-Link are continuing to gain market acceptance worldwide. This is complemented by a steady double digit growth in our installed base globally for about the last decade. Additionally, more companies than ever are developing CC-Link IE or CC-Link compliant devices, with our catalog now containing around 1,700 different products from more than 300 different manufacturers.
“CLPA has also been leading the way in industry cooperation with a ground-breaking PROFINET interoperability standard developed with PI. We are following this with an initiative to also make CC-Link IE and OPC UA work together, as well as a security working group with industry-leading members. Combined, these advances are continuing attracting more and more support in the industry.”
CC-Link Partner Association
Filed Under: CONNECTIVITY • fieldbuses • networks
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