Profinet claims to be undisputed market leader

London - Profinet has reported record growth in the number of installed nodes, with 1.6 million nodes by the end of 2008 - up 40% on the 1.1 million nodes recorded at the end of 2007). The figures, it cliams, make PROFINET the "undisputed market leader in Ethernet-based industrial communication," adding that the PI (Profibus & Profinet International) estimates that the number will rise to 3 million by the end of 2010.

Uptake of Profibus nodes is also growing with 11% growth in the number of nodes in 2008, to 5 million, taking the total number of installed nodes rose to 28.3 million. Based on the calculated development curve, PI estimates that the 50 million node mark may be passed by the end of 2012, said a Profinet statement.

A factor for the increase in use is full investment protection and compatibility, which is important due to the long service life of systems in process automation. By the end of 2008, 880,000 PA devices had been installed in the field, which corresponds to 20% growth. The total number of Profibus (DP and PA) nodes installed in the process industry amounts now to 4.8 million.

"Great acceptance of PROFIsafe for use in safety-relevant systems is shown by its market share, claims Profinet. By the end of 2008, it said, the number of PROFIsafe systems reached 66,000 and the number of PROFIsafe devices reached 630,000. A recently published market study currently sees the total market of bus-capable safety devices at 700,000 - giving PROFIsafe a 90% market share.