Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to provide an update on the status of current fieldbuses and high-speed Ethernet technologies for industrial automation. Design/methodology/approach - The paper provides information on the various fieldbus technologies for industrial automation connectivity and examines high-speed deterministic Ethernets for automated manufacturing and assembly plant. Findings - The paper finds that the standards issue has still not been fully resolved, that Ethernets reduce manufacturing costs compared with conventional fieldbuses, that most effort has gone into making Ethernets work deterministically, rather than concentrating on IT and enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration, and that the internet will increasingly feed real-time data to ERP levels. Originality/value - The paper provides information on recent developments in Ethernet technologies.