IT in Manufacturing


Siemens expands Ethernet switch range

December 2011 IT in Manufacturing

Efficient switches connect automation networks to the company’s IT system.

The Siemens Industry Automation Division has expanded its range of industrial Ethernet switches with a new range of 19-inch rack devices. The Scalance-X-500 switches are especially suitable for configuring large automation networks and connecting them to the company’s IT system. Typical areas of application are network configuration and coupling in production and process systems in industry sectors such as mining, logistics and transport. The new switches are equipped with fully modular ‘Hot­swappable’ 4-port technology for electrical and optical media modules. Scalance XR528-6M with two height units has six slots for 4-port media modules, Scalance XR552-12M has three height units and 12 slots. Up to 24 or 48 end devices and network components with speeds of 10-1000 Mbit/s can be connected. In addition, both device versions offer four slots for SFP+ (small form-factor, pluggable) transceivers with a 10 Gigabit/s Ethernet.

The new switches have functions for industry-specific communication and offer layer 2 and layer 3 functions, such as static and dynamic routing for communication with networks on the company’s IT system. The devices provide numerous redundancy functions, such as ring redundancy, RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) and MSTP (Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol), supplemented with standby functions and VLAN. The external 300 W power supply unit, PS598-1, supplies the Scalance-X-500 switches with power. This is either installed above or below the switch or docked on the back directly using a plug-in connection. The availability of the switches increases when two redundant network devices are used. To activate layer 3 functions, an optional removable medium with key function (Key Plug) is used. This contains the activation licence and allows configuration data to be saved.

For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, [email protected], www.siemens.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Bringing physical AI to the factory floor by deploying humanoids in industrial operations
Siemens South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Siemens and Humanoid have marked a landmark milestone in the journey to bring physical AI from vision to industrial reality. Humanoid’s humanoid robothas been successfully tested in operations at Siemens’ electronics factory in Germany, performing autonomous logistics tasks.

Read more...
Siemens ecosystem strengthens data and AI integration
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced significant expansions to its Industrial Edge ecosystem, accelerating data and AI integration and releasing enhanced cybersecurity functionalities. These enable a seamless integration of IT and OT environments, optimise processes and reduce operational disruptions.

Read more...
Siemens manages shipbuilding process for HD Hyundai
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has been selected by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering as a preferred partner to establish an integrated platform to manage the entire shipbuilding process as a single data flow to help ensure consistency across all its global shipyard facilities.

Read more...
Transforming the process industry through digitalisation
Endress+Hauser South Africa IT in Manufacturing
By connecting field devices, systems and people, digitalisation creates new opportunities to optimise operations, enhance maintenance strategies and support continuous improvement. As a leading instrumentation provider and major source of process data, Endress+Hauser plays a key role in enabling this transformation.

Read more...
The OT operator’s guide to security and uptime on the plant
RJ Connect IT in Manufacturing
The article addresses three common questions about industrial network deployment and maintenance, exploring ways to achieve better control and visibility with more efficiency.

Read more...
The assets you can’t see are the ones that can shut you down
IT in Manufacturing
ABEGuardOT is an asset management solution that delivers continuous, non-intrusive visibility across multi-vendor environments, including Siemens, Rockwell, ABB, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Emerson, GE and Yokogawa, with support for OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Modbus and Profibus.

Read more...
Edge I/O NTS and the need for industrial speed
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
One of the most compelling solutions to emerge from industrial automation is Edge I/O NTS, which represents a natural evolution of computing from centralised servers to localised, device-level input/output processing, offering improved speed, efficiency and resilience.

Read more...
The next wave of AI-driven process automation
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
As process industries hurtle toward an AI-driven future, four powerful trends are set to redefine automation strategies in 2026: hyper automation, AI-first automation, low code/no code platforms, and advanced process intelligence.

Read more...
Huge increase in denial-of-service cyber threats
IT in Manufacturing
NETSCOUT has released its Distributed Denial-of-Service Threat Intelligence report, revealing sophisticated attacker collaboration, resilient botnets and compromised IoT infrastructure that drove more than eight million DDoS attacks worldwide.

Read more...
Sustainable manufacturing
ABB South Africa IT in Manufacturing
ABB’s production facility in Shandong province, China is delivering measurable energy and emissions reductions through the implementation of advanced digital energy management and electrification solutions.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved