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Companies Partner to Develop Industry 4.0 Ethernet Interface

What will replace the RJ45?

Tokyo-based Hirose Electric and German company Harting Electronics will work together to develop, standardize, and market a miniaturized connection technology system for 10Gbit Ethernet.

The RJ45 was indispensable when using Ethernet ten years ago, however, it was not ideally suitable for use in industrial environments and could only be deployed with certain modifications.

In light of this situation, Harting developed the world’s first industry-compatible field attachable RJ45. The miniaturization of components and interfaces in connection technology has become a key factor in global digitization through the Internet of Things and Services.

"As a form of the Internet of Things, there is one thing that 'Industry 4.0' requires above all else: an Ethernet connection to each and every 'Industry 4.0' component," explained Philip Harting, Chairman of the Board at the Harting Technology Group, in a press release. "The standardization and international norms for new high-performance components and infrastructure is an essential requirement for market success and provides planning security."

Hirose Electric has offered miniature connector solutions for small handheld devices including mobile phones, tablets and cameras and has contributed to the miniaturization and the high-speed communication of electronic devices.

The company has played a significant role in the high-performance and miniaturization industry, not only with internal connectors, but also with interface connectors such as micro-USB (USB2.0, 3.0, and 3.1) which were originally developed by Hirose.

To meet the challenging market demand for global digitization, both companies have agreed to use their expertise for the development of a new miniaturized and robust Ethernet interface for high-speed data transmission rates to set a new standard for 'Industry 4.0' applications.

The two companies plan to reveal further details on their cooperation in the autumn at electronica or SPS/IPC Drives.