Belden Certified Industrial Network Program

Summary

Interview Brian Oulton of Belden

By Bill Lydon, Editor

Belden has launched a Certified Industrial Network Program. To learn more about the program, I talked with Brian Oulton, Director of Initiative and Vertical Marketing at Belden. Here is a transcript of that interview.

What motivated Belden to create the Certified Industrial Network Program?

Brian Oulton: This program is rooted in requests from customers – they’re looking for a supplier that can deliver a network infrastructure, rather than having to deal with multiple vendors providing individual components that need to be pieced together.  They’ve had positive experiences with our technical resources that support our Hirschmann, GarrettCom, and Belden brands, and have confidence in our overall industrial network infrastructure expertise.  Users have been clear, they wish they had all of the control and information when, where and how they need it, without even thinking about the infrastructure that delivers it.  At the same time, our system integrator friends were being asked to warranty their work and they asked us about the best way to provide more support, longer warranty periods, etc.  We believe the program we’re offering comes pretty close to doing all of that.

Many think of Belden as the wire & cable guys. How has that changed in recent years?

Brian Oulton: We now provide everything required for an industrial Ethernet infrastructure.  The company makes Hirschmann industrial Ethernet switches with the highest market share in the world for industrial switches.  We also make GarrettCom switches for critical, rugged industries like traffic control and power transmission & distribution.  In addition, we make Tofino Security products for industrial cyber security.  Belden also makes Lumberg connectivity products with tough IP ratings.  These are all available under one roof at Belden.

I know Belden is in the Rockwell Encompass program, are you in any other industry programs?

Brian Oulton: There are number of automation vendors in the industry that partner very closely with us around technology, brand label our products, and reference our products.  We have vendor relationships that vary – from referencing to marketing to promotional programs – with the majority of major automation companies including Rockwell, Schneider, Yokogowa, Emerson, Avaya and several others.

What is unique about Belden’s new Certified Industrial Network Program?

Brian Oulton: To the best of our knowledge, Belden is the only industrial network communications vendor to certify entire industrial network infrastructures, including switches, routers, security, cables and connectors.  Belden works with authorized providers and is involved in reviewing EVERY part of the network design, installation & startup – so customers get two sets of experts working on their behalf.  After installation & startup, the program enables the customer to continue to update, upgrade and change their network and still maintain their certification and warranty, even if they decide to do the additional work themselves.  The program also includes a limited lifetime warranty on the electronics (e.g. switches, routers) and a 25-year warranty on physical media (e.g. cables, connectors).

Does this include non-Belden networking products?

Brian Oulton: Yes, in some cases to get a complete network for a specific application, we may use some non-Belden products that complement our own.  We may need to exclude that product from the certification program’s extended warranty.

Is network performance used as a measure of success in this program and how is it measured?

Brian Oulton: Network performance is definitely important.  The performance of a properly designed and implemented industrial Ethernet infrastructure will far surpass even the most demanding traffic, including real-time control or information needs on that network.  For example, General Motors has been quoted as using <2% of their network bandwidth and capacity for automation of their large industrial applications, which is typical.  With the certified network program, the design work is done upfront to anticipate the performance requirements of the application, and we use test equipment, like our HiVision software, to be sure it provides the throughput and capacity we guarantee.  That helps to verify that something did not go wrong during installation, where you might have crimped a connector wrong, or bent or smashed a cable, and you’re experiencing a degraded performance.

Belden has a great deal of experience maximizing performance, right down to our patented Bonded-Pair cable technology that ensures the performance you get on the cable when it is still on the spool, is the same as the performance after it is installed. We have a lot of test information available comparing our patented cable to other cables.

The customer is interested in an infrastructure that gives them the performance, reliability and capabilities they require. We take care of it, so they don’t have to.

What is HiVision software?

Brian Oulton: The Hirschmann HiVision software for industrial networks provides tools to manage the overall network infrastructure and provides performance, diagnostic health and data that we rely on during installation and startup.  Used in combination with other network products, we use HiVision to ensure the network is performing correctly.

Details on HiVision Network Management software can be found here: http://www.belden.com/products/industrialnetworking/software/industrialhivision.cfm.

What is the process?

Brian Oulton: Our trained and certified partners handle the design, installation, startup and testing.  Belden is engaged in every single customer project, working with our partners to review the design and analyze areas of risk to improve the design.  The partner handles the commissioning and startup of the project – done to Belden standards – and provides us specific test results, illustrating the network performance is meeting our requirements.  If there are unusual issues, Belden will also go to the site and work with our partner to optimize the network.

Our partners and Belden both have the customer drawings and design information for the network to more effectively support customer problems that may arise.  With the drawings and documentation in front of us, we’re able to expedite a lot of the back and forth questions at the front-end of a tech support call.

Does Belden service customers directly?

Brian Oulton: Yes.  Belden is involved in reviewing EVERY part of the customer’s network design, installation & startup, working alongside an authorized provider. The customer has direct access to our experts before, during and after design & installation. We also both provide post-installation support, easy access to advice for the customer or partner for further network expansion or changes, and maintain the project documentation (e.g. design plans, test results) to help expedite future changes or help in resolving any issues that may arise later.

What about cyber security?

Brian Oulton: We design for security from the beginning.  While the certification program does not currently include a risk assessment or provide specific warranties regarding security, our infrastructure designs include a solid level of security support and the right structure to add more security in phases, if needed.  Based on customer and partner input, the designs will include our Tofino Security products and will utilize security features in our Hirschmann and GarrettCom products as well.

Does the program certify industrial networks including EtherNet/IP (ODVA), PROFINET, and EtherCAT?

Brian Oulton: Yes, to the extent the communications equipment comes from Belden.  For example, our switches support a variety of industrial protocols, including Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP and PROFINET.  We design the infrastructure for the amount and types of traffic needed for the application, and have preconfigured settings in our switches for the particular network.  

Is this program available worldwide?

Brian Oulton: Yes, this is a worldwide program and is available across all industrial settings.

Does the program certify wireless industrial networks?

Brian Oulton: We do not currently certify wireless networks, but this does not preclude the use of wireless on projects.

How many authorized providers are there?

Brian Oulton: We just started up the program, so we have a handful of authorized providers that have been trained and there will be more as time goes on.  There is an online listing at: http://www.belden.com/certified-industrial-network/directory.cfm.

How does someone become a Belden Certified Industrial Network Provider?

Brian Oulton: They can contact their Belden distributor or account manager and discuss this program with them.  More information can be found at: http://www.belden.com/docs/upload/Belden-Certified-Industrial-Network-Provider-Program-Brochure.pdf.

Thoughts & Observations

Since the industrial network is the backbone of automation this design and service offering deals with a fundamental contributor to system reliability.  More companies are using service organizations because they have unique expertise, knowledge, knowhow, and tools to get thing done efficiently.   Also the mean time to repair (MTTR) should be lower from a provider that regularly works with networking technologies.