P R E S S R E L E A S E
PROFIBUS continues to climb as the world’s most popular fieldbus
15.4 million devices installed - 2.8 million in process plants
Karlsruhe – March 21, 2006: 2005 was the most successful year to date for PROFIBUS International (PI) and its member companies. The number of PROFIBUS nodes sold rose to approximately 2.8 million. The total installed base today has grown to 15.4 million PROFIBUS nodes. PI remains on target for increasing this to 20 million nodes by the end of 2007. The total today exceeds all other solutions by a large margin and makes PROFIBUS the world’s most popular fieldbus.
PROFIBUS is strong in process automation. In 2005, 130,000 new devices using the PROFIBUS PA profile were installed in mainstream process applications, an increase of 30% compared to 2004. By the end of 2005, approximately 530,000 PROFIBUS PA devices were being used in process and process-oriented systems.
However, the overall picture in process plants is even more positive when the PROFIBUS DP protocol is taken into account for the integration of discrete field devices. Combined installations where PROFIBUS DP (discrete automation) and PROFIBUS PA (process automation) are used side by side total about 2.8 million. This is because most process lines are ‘hybrid’, incorporating discrete functions upstream and downstream of the main process line. Only PROFIBUS can support this ‘hybrid’ requirement on a single network, with its two tightly integrated protocols. Other IEC 61158-2 process fieldbuses need to use a second fieldbus for the discrete applications. Consequently, PROFIBUS is the most cost-effective option in the majority of process plants. This was confirmed recently by an ARC survey which stated that up to 88% of end users see this ‘hybrid’ requirement as one of the key aspects of fieldbuses in process.
“PROFIBUS continues to strengthen its position in all segments of the market, and in all regions of the world. North American and Far Eastern markets were especially dynamic in 2005”, said Edgar Küster, Chairman of PROFIBUS International, the organization responsible for PROFIBUS worldwide. “Recently, PROFIBUS International certified the first PROFIBUS PA instrument to be developed solely in China. Others are expected shortly.”
“Our extensive international network of regional organizations and competence centers, which provide support for manufacturers and users on all continents, is very important for growth,” Küster added. “The range of PROFIBUS products spans virtually all applications in automation, and the large number of suppliers gives a high degree of freedom for users to select best in class solutions at competitive prices. This international network is now beginning to focus on PROFINET, our advanced Industrial Ethernet solution, which provides Ethernet-based automation functionality across all industry sectors. PROFINET accommodates existing fieldbuses like PROFIBUS easily so we see an exciting future ahead for both technologies in parallel.”
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Press contact:
PROFIBUS International
Support Center
Barbara Weber
Haid-und-Neu-Str. 7
76131 KarlsruheGermany
Phone: ++49 7 21 /96 58 - 5 90
Fax: ++49 7 21 / 96 58 - 5
http://www.profibus.com
The text of the press release and a press photo are available for download on the PI homepage ( http://www.profibus.com/pi/events/press ).
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