Mr. Fischer, where does SPE stand today?

Simon Fischer: The Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance (SPESA) now has over 60 members, all of whom are actively working on the development of SPE products and have already placed their first products on the market. This alone shows the market relevance of SPE technology for the future. From our discussions with customers, we are also seeing an increasing number of companies working on their own SPE products in the background. SPE is therefore developing from a trend topic into a relevant technology that can serve useful applications on the market.

Is now a good time to get to grips with SPE? If so, why?

Now is the right time to get to grips with SPE and determine for your company which relevant use cases can be served with SPE and which products from the portfolio can be equipped with SPE in the future. At Hilscher, we are convinced that SPE will establish itself on the market alongside existing technologies. System costs will fall as it becomes more widespread, which will also convince hesitant companies to make sensible use of SPE in their products.

For which users is SPE interesting today and in the future?

A major advantage of SPE technology is that it solves problems from various industries. Process automation benefits from the ability to build an Ethernet-based system from the sensor to the cloud, replacing its technologically limited 4 to 20 mA sensors. In factory automation, people are happy to finally get away from the clunky RJ45 connector and be able to use a cable for both data transmission and power supply. In building automation, long distances between the individual network participants are possible, so that cable lengths of 1000 m seem sensible. The useful applications for SPE are therefore very wide-ranging, which will benefit a rapid spread.

Hilscher at the SPS 2023: Hall 5, Stand 130 + 330