Technology
SPE: enhanced cloud access to sensors and peripherals SPE, short for Single Pair Ethernet, is expected by many to revolutionize the way modern industrial communication networks operate. As technology advances and industrial applications are becoming increasingly digital, requirements for existing Ethernet wiring are shifting.
Value drivers and expected benefits of key categories in industrial production (source: McKinsey 2015). IN THIS ARTICLE, INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATION specialist Hilscher shines a light on the most recent developments and requirements for modern industrial communication and how two drilled cables are set to resolve them.
SPE and why it’s necessary
SPE is expected to drastically change industrial communication due to significant cost and space savings, increased coverage in industrial plants as well as an overall improved performance. The main feature is that only two wires for communication and power over data line within the cables instead of up to eight. Cable lengths of up to 1 km are possible as stipulated by the IEEE802.3cg, and the increasing number of sensors and actors as well as rising demand for more data has proven that conventional fieldbus systems are insufficient above certain cable lengths. Industrial IoT requires standardized communication between applications and machines. From sensor up into the cloud, SPE
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enables data transmission along the entire industrial automation architecture based on an IP network.
Introduction
After several years of governmental activities to foster development of new industrial standards as well as rising demands from the market, digitization of modern production lines has picked up the pace recently. Over the course of the last decade, initiatives such as “Plattform Industrie 4.0”, “Industrial Ethernet Consortium” or “Made in China 2025” foreshadowed the need for digital technologies and innovations in order to improve the performance of production facilities all around the world. Numerous major industrial players as well as renowned consulting groups have since examined the potential that lies in new technologies to streamline industrial processes. A study published by the French consulting company Capgemini in 2015 saw a “new industrial paradigm” come to light
with a “need for increased intelligence in embedded systems and value creation through smart services”. Key success factors in this regard were advanced analytics for predictive production actions and process transparency, according to the Capgemini study. A McKinsey analysis, also published in 2015, similarly concluded that “disruptive technologies will enable the digitization of the manufacturing sector”. The study, which was based on interviews with about 100 industrial companies, lists cloud technologies, advanced analytics, touch and next-level GUI, virtual and augmented reality, advanced robotics, and additive manufacturing as such groundbreaking innovations. The consulting company Accenture even titled such technologies as game-changing and stated that they could seize a “trillion dollar opportunity” the same year. Based on the results of the studies conducted by a number of research institutions, they found several value drivers
in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k
07.2021
