The Use of IO-Link in The German Machinery Industry Until 2016 Reveals The Quest Trend Magazine Study

Bochum, Germany, August 15, 2014 --(PR.com)-- In 2007, 1% of the machine-builders used IO-Link and 13% at the end of 2013. By 2016 47% of the machine-builders will use IO-Link, i.e. nearly each second one! That means almost a triple increase in the next three years.

Also, the use of IO-Link in machines will expand. The number of machines with IO-Link will grow more strongly than the number of machines by 15% up to 2016.

Finally, current users aim for future technology to implement much more sensors with IO-Link per machine.

What is the security that IO-Link will win more users and will be implemented in more machines in the future? It is the unified satisfaction current users show with IO-Link.

The possible benefits of IO-Link were comprehensively highlighted by nine benefits in the interviews.

More than 90% of users are content with the following four benefits "field-bus-independent connection", "three-core standard cable", "condition-based maintenance" and "reduced control cabinet".

More than 80% of users are content with the benefit of the unscreened cable as well as with the feature that the IO-Link master stores sensor parameters.

Over 70% of users are satisfied with the assigning of the sensor parameters through the control system, the sensor smart profile and IO-Link’s downward compatibility for binary sensors.

Furthermore 13% of users mentioned cost savings through IO-Link. So a machine-builder, producing machine tools, discovered a cost savings of 30%:

"The first crucial point is the reduction of the installation expenses, combined with cost reduction. We estimate the cost reduction by 30%. These 30% are a mix for more expensive hardware, reduced installation costs and saving regarding the coworkers’ work times. On the one hand the cost saving is not always immediately apparent for a procurement manager as he is only looking at the prices. At first all field bus systems are more expensive than the discrete wiring. On the other hand just the mix of work time for installation and startup together with the material costs reduces total costs by 30%."

"Less wiring effort, less interference sources, cost savings" – this statement is based on the experiences of a machine-builder producing textile machines. These benefits are at the same time those three benefits on which three quarters of the benefit denominations are focused.

Quest TechnoMarketing interviewed nearly 200 companies, i.e. 30% of the machine-builders in 10 important sectors of the machinery industry with 100 and more employees. This relatively high portion provides representative results and detailed trends for the future until 2016 on 80 pages.

The article in the Quest Trend Magazine about IO-Link is available on www.quest-trendmagazine.com/en/machinery-industry/automation/sensors/io-link-in-the-machinery-industry-until-2016.html