ARC VIEW

JUNE 5, 2015

ODVA Technology Extends Its Reach

to the Process Industries
By Harry Forbes and Craig Resnick

Keywords
Industrial Ethernet, Integration, EtherNet/IP, ODVA, Process Manufacturing, Optimization of Process Integration, OPI

Summary
ODVA (www.odva.org), the organization that supports EtherNet/IP and
other information and communication technologies built on the Common
Industrial Protocol (CIP), has a well-established position in factory automation for discrete and hybrid manufacturing. In 2013, ODVA announced an
initiative called the Optimization of Process InteIndustrial Ethernet is becoming an
option for networking more field devices
in hybrid and process plants. Some
leading end users and automation
suppliers perceive a growing value in
Ethernet network convergence across
industrial sectors. In response, ODVA

gration (OPI), focused on the information and

communication needs of the process industries.
In late 2014, ODVA established a technical working
group to develop solutions, based on CIP and
EtherNet/IP, for applications in process manufac-

has instituted an initiative focused on

turing applications. ODVAs actions came about

addressing user needs in the process

for several reasons: penetration of Ethernet field

industries.

devices into process applications, end user recognition of the potential value of Ethernet network

convergence, and an increasing interest in the process automation market

among the growing ODVA membership.

Hybrid Industries Move Toward Network Convergence

Ethernets penetration into manufacturing applications is proceeding much
the way that ARC Advisory Group and other analyst firms expected. This
has been a top-down penetration from the enterprise/IT network to the
factory floor, which today is nearly complete. Today, all higher level automation networks are Ethernet and most I/O networks for PLCs and many
DCSs also now use Ethernet. Even large manufacturers that have used pur-

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pose-built device networks for many years are now converging their network architecture to use industrial Ethernet networks ubiquitously,
including for PLC I/O.
The next evolution in adoption
of industrial Ethernet is its penetration

into

process

field

devices. This transition has already

begun.

The

more

complex field measurement devices are prime candidates for

Ethernet and many process automation

suppliers

already

support it. One prime example

in which industrial Ethernet is
already widely used in process
automation is flow meters, devices that often combine multiple measurements with compensation calculations and other mathematical functions.
These devices are complex and expensive compared to a typical transmitter. Collectively, the applications needs for these devices benefit from the
ability to transport large amounts of data, especially as it relates to device
management. This makes industrial Ethernet an obvious fit.
Ethernet penetration will begin in those process industry applications that
can accept the physical limitations of IEEE-standard Ethernet. The two major limitations are the 100-meter maximum segment length for 100 MB
Ethernet and lack of the intrinsic safety-type physical network properties necessary in hazardous environments. Neither limitation is a
major concern in hybrid manufacturing industries such as food,
beverages, and life sciences. These industries also employ many complex flow measurement devices for blending and mixing operations.
These manufacturers readily see the advantage of network convergence in such applications and are pushing field device suppliers for
broader Ethernet support.
As a result, leading field instrumentation suppliers, such as Micro MoElectromagnetic
Flowmeter with
EtherNet/IP

(Source:
Endress+Hauser)

tion (a unit of Emerson) and Endress+Hauser have already equipped

many of their field devices and components with Ethernet interfaces,
including EtherNet/IP. In fact, a range of field devices can be found
that are equipped with EtherNet/IP, such as flow meters, chart re-

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corders and liquid analysis transmitters. Some thought-leading hybrid

manufacturers have already become enthusiastic users of these products,
standardizing on Ethernet field devices whenever possible. The major advantage they report to ARC is a single automation network and API for
both field device and sensor information from the controller. In addition,
many applications for device management and calibration can support devices on either Ethernet or a traditional fieldbus interface, so the transition
to Ethernet does not disrupt these existing practices.
In the longer term, technology and standards for the Ethernet physical layer
will evolve to cover application needs for intrinsic safety combined with
network-powered field devices.
Impact of Consolidation of Automation Suppliers

The consolidation of the automation industry is another factor driving convergence. Specialist automation firms are being absorbed into much larger
and more generalist firms. Specialized measurement or technology firms
are often the target of friendly takeovers by major automation firms. The
acquiring firms obtain new and successful technology, while the acquired
firms can reach a far larger market as units of a major supplier rather than
as small entrepreneurial players. An example of this consolidation is the
2014 acquisition of Invensys by Schneider Electric. As the large suppliers
grow even larger through acquisition, they inevitably address wider portions of the total automation market. Schneider Electrics product portfolio,
a prime example, has grown to include DCS, process safety shutdown systems, as well as process field measurements.
Industry consortiums, such as ODVA, are finding that their members are
more diverse as well. Originally, these organizations formed around a single major supplier focused on a primary industry segment, with many
much smaller firms joining in order to participate in the large automation
suppliers ecosystem and projects. But today, the ODVA membership is far
broader, both in terms of industries served and geographic reach. The
membership includes two of the very largest automation suppliers, Rockwell Automation and Schneider Electric, plus Cisco Systems, a leading
supplier of networking equipment; Endress+Hauser, a leading supplier of
process instrumentation; market leaders in drives, sensing and controls,
Bosch Rexroth and Omron; along with approximately 300 other supplier
companies that serve a variety of industries.

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ODVA Initiative for the Optimizing Process Integration

Closely associated with factory automation since its founding, ODVA has
now formed a technical working group, known as a Special Interest Group
(SIG), to focus on ODVA technology solutions specifically for deploying
EtherNet/IP in process manufacturing applications. This is a result of the
broadening interests of ODVA members to include all industrial automation including discrete, hybrid and process industries. The developments
center around three major areas:

Integrating Field Devices with Industrial Control Systems (ICS) In

the near term, this effort will simplify the integration of automation systems containing both legacy process fieldbuses and Ethernet field
devices. In the longer term, ODVA will integrate new Ethernet physical
layers for process environments as they are developed.

Integrating Field Devices with Plant Asset Management (PAM) This

area encompasses device management technologies. The area is important because process field devices require complex parameterization
and may require periodic recalibration. Monitoring device diagnostics
for proper operation is a critical part of the process automation.

Holistic Field-to-Enterprise Communication Architecture This effort

will develop communication architectures that takes advantage of
Ethernet convergence to enable more unified vertical communication
(from device to enterprise) as opposed to the traditional and far more
rigid automation pyramid communication models.

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ODVAs Process Integration Initiative Focuses on Three Areas

(Source: ODVA)

In undertaking its initiative aimed at optimizing process integration, ODVA

will benefit from both technical and market factors. ODVAs industrial
Ethernet technology, EtherNet/IP, is unique in that it employs the TCP/IP
suite exclusively as a message transport mechanism for its Common Industrial Protocol. TCP/IP has been proven in the factory automation space,
despite some challenges in some time-sensitive applications. Process automation is much more concerned with system reliability than submillisecond latencies, so riding on TCP/IP is an advantage here. From a
market standpoint, ODVA has a growing and diverse membership that has
become far more interested in, and knowledgeable about, the process automation business. Finally, thought-leading end users in all manufacturing
industries are recognizing the advantages of the converged plantwide
Ethernet vision and look to automation suppliers to support it.
For further information or to provide feedback on this article, please contact your
ARC account manager or the author at hforbes@arcweb.com or cresnick@arcweb.com. ARC Views are published and copyrighted by ARC Advisory
Group. The information is proprietary to ARC and no part of it may be reproduced
without prior permission from ARC.

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