Ann Arbor, MI, October 3, 2006 -- ODVA announced that EtherNet/IP has been adopted by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People's Republic of China as a machinery industry standard for the People's Republic of China. This adoption will spur continued growth of this open industrial network's installed base -- already exceeding 1 million nodes worldwide, and a projected growth in the double digit rates. EtherNet/IP is one of the most widely accepted network standards in the industrial arena, including approval from such organizations as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) [IEC 61158 "Digital data communications for measurement and control -- Fieldbus for use in industrial control systems" and IEC 61784-1 "Digital data communications for measurement and control - Part 1: Profile sets for continuous and discrete manufacturing relative to fieldbus use in industrial control systems." EN 61158 and EN 61784-1. Synchronization extensions to EtherNet/IP, allowing sub-microsecond clock synchronization using IEC 61588 (IEEE-1588™), have also been approved as the IEC in the publicly available specification PAS 62413. The contents of this PAS are being integrated in the new edition of IEC 61158, as part of the IEC 61784-2 project covering "Additional profiles for ISO/IEC 8802-3 based communications networks in real time applications."] and the corresponding European standards [EN 61158 and EN 61784-1].
"This action, by one the world's leading technology countries, affirms the confidence that both industry and governments have placed in this proven network technology," said Katherine Voss, executive director of ODVA. "EtherNet/IP is a future-proof solution for automation applications."
The Chinese economy is world's fourth largest in terms of gross domestic product, and is growing at more than 9% per year. Nearly every major industry has a presence in China today. The production growth rate across these industries currently averages around 29% per year. ODVA's membership includes numerous multinational companies with significant and expanding operations in China including Cisco Systems, Eaton Electrical, OMRON, and Rockwell Automation.
"Industry in China has expressed strong interest in EtherNet/IP for many automation applications," states Cai Zhongyong, manager of ODVA activities in China. "With the addition of EtherNet/IP and ControlNet as accepted standards in China, we will see adoption of CIP Networks continue to expand, EtherNet/IP in particular, throughout a wide variety of industries and include not only manufacturing but also process industries and infrastructure projects."
EtherNet/IP is one of the network technologies that comprise the family of networks built on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™). The machinery industry standard for EtherNet/IP in China is recognized under the Chinese standard JB/T 10308.2-2006: Digital data communication for measurement and control -- Fieldbus for use in industrial control systems. ControlNet, another member of the family of CIP Networks, was also approved by the NDRC as a part of the China machinery industry standard. These two open networking technologies join DeviceNet, the first member of the family of CIP Networks to obtain approval as a standard in China, when the DeviceNet technology was made part of the first Chinese national standard to encompass fieldbus technology -- GB/T 18858: Low Voltage Switchgear and Controlgear Controller-Device Interface.
"Standard unmodified Ethernet and Internet technologies will play a critical role in achieving continuous productivity improvement in automation applications and for integrating those applications with the enterprise," said Voss. "Approval of EtherNet/IP as an industry standard by the People's Republic of China will provide vendors and users with the assurance that an investment in EtherNet/IP will provide positive returns in today's global economy."
