Toyota to standardise on EtherCAT

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it has selected EtherCAT as its industrial Ethernet technology of choice and will base its new factories around the world on EtherCAT.

"I am pleased to announce that Toyota Motor Corporation will make the most of EtherCAT in our new factories to be built around the world. We have conducted thorough analysis and evaluation to compare various industrial Ethernet technologies. I believe the performance, determinism and simple wiring characteristics of EtherCAT, in addition to its openness, best fit with the needs of Toyota to evolve production systems with Industrial IoT concepts," said Morihiko Ohkura, general manager of the production engineering innovation division.

EtherCAT is also an essential part of Toyota’s new IoT deployment strategy, and Ohkura stressed that Toyota is prepared to take an active role within the EtherCAT Technology Group.

"What I expect from the ETG is to support us in becoming one of the leading EtherCAT users in the industry. By growing the community of supporters of EtherCAT technology, I am confident that the transition from our current technology should be a smooth one," he said.

The decision to standardise on EtherCAT also factors in the latest addition to the technology, EtherCAT P.

"The significance of Toyota's choice to standardise on EtherCAT and EtherCAT P cannot be overstated. As the world's largest automotive company, Toyota is known for its highly efficient and high-quality production strategies, with many companies and industries following the successful path set by this manufacturing leader. This significant development will further accelerate the global adoption of EtherCAT within the automotive industry and beyond," said Martin Rostan, executive director of the ETG.

Rostan also welcomes the active involvement of Toyota in the EtherCAT Community: “The EtherCAT Technology Group has always been characterised by active user involvement. Having Toyota onboard will strengthen this vital element of engagement and ensure that user requirements are fully met or exceeded by EtherCAT technologies.”