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ODVA acknowledges expansion

March 10, 2020

The organization's membership has grown to more than 350.

Since the previous ODVA Industry Conference in Georgia, 78 specification enhancements and technology design documents were added. “And IO-Link has shown double-digit growth in the last years,” said Dr. Al Beydoun, president and executive director of ODVA, who kicked off proceedings at the 2020 ODVA Industry Conference & 20th Annual Meeting of members in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Founded in 1995, ODVA is a global trade and standards development organization. Its mission is to advance open, interoperable information and communication technologies in industrial automation. ODVA recognizes its media-independent network protocol, the Common Industrial Protocol or (CIP) and the network adaptations of CIP, including EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet, as its core technology and the primary common interest of its membership. ODVA embraces the adoption of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and standard, unmodified Internet and Ethernet technologies as a guiding principle wherever possible.

ODVA membership has grown to more than 350, and overall licenses to EtherNet/IP vendors expanded to more than 700, explained Beydoun.

“Thirteen active working groups bring specification enhancements in key areas such as CIP security and IO-Link integration,” said Beydoun. “We formed a new SIG for xDS digital device description to develop next-generation-device descriptions, and we developed an adoption plan for EtherNet/IP over TSN via working committees. We’ve also added HART integrations and IO-Link integration.”

Five ODVA strategic initiatives include:

ensuring EtherNet/IP devices will connect and interoperate with other technologies and ecosystem of OT and IT systems
ensuring EtherNet/IP devices can be integrated and configured by various device integrations tools
ensuring support of emerging standards and technologies related to physical and data link layers
increasing adoption of ODVA technologies
understanding needs of membership with a feedback loop.

ODVA was founded in 1995 by four companies—Omron, Rockwell Automation, Square D and Westinghouse Cutler-Hammer—as Open DeviceNet Vendor Association. It was founded to promote the adoption of DeviceNet.

About the author: Mike Bacidore

Mike Bacidore is the editor in chief for Control Design magazine. He is an award-winning columnist, earning a Gold Regional Award and a Silver National Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Email him at [email protected].

About the Author

Mike Bacidore | Editor in Chief

Mike Bacidore is chief editor of Control Design and has been an integral part of the Endeavor Business Media editorial team since 2007. Previously, he was editorial director at Hughes Communications and a portfolio manager of the human resources and labor law areas at Wolters Kluwer. Bacidore holds a BA from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He is an award-winning columnist, earning multiple regional and national awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. He may be reached at [email protected]