An independent view
from Professor George Turnbull PhD. MIEE. FRSA.
In the past I have written several articles and presented numerous presentations on Industrial Networks but have only recently become aware of CC-Link IE, a true contender in the Industrial Ethernet market. I would like to give my initial impressions on CC-Link IE in this short article.
Trends in Industrial Networks
Networks are now commonplace in Industry and have moved from being vendor specific towards shared technologies, usually originating from a large vendor but supported by an independent club. In the case of CC-Link IE the originating vendor is Mitsubishi and the club is the CLPA. The success of the network depends firstly on the vendor – its Status and both with regard to the original design and how it deals with enhancements recommended by the club: also the international marketing strategy of both vendor and club – the membership and its organisation. In general the leading networks have been split by sector – process, manufacturing, buildings etc and by geography – America, Europe and the Far East. Mitsubishi is the dominant player in manufacturing markets in the Far East but is weak in other sectors and parts of the world. The CLP A is new and mirrors its vendor so far in both sectors and geography. The question therefore is “can CC-Link IE improve its position in other market sectors and other regions?”
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