What ODVA does

ODVA is a global standards development organization and membership association founded in 1995 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with 11-50 employees. It develops, maintains, and licenses the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and its derivative network technologies — EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet, and CompoNet — alongside five Distinctive CIP Services that extend the core protocol: CIP Safety (functional safety to SIL3), CIP Security (cybersecurity), CIP Motion (motion control), CIP Sync (time synchronization), and CIP Energy (energy optimization). ODVA also stewards Single Pair Ethernet extensions including Ethernet-APL for process automation environments. Its membership comprises leading industrial automation companies such as Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Omron, Honeywell, Endress+Hauser, and HARTING.

ODVA monetizes through a membership and licensing model. Companies apply to become Members and Licensed Vendors, receiving discounted access to technical specifications on a subscription basis, assignment of unique Vendor IDs embedded in product firmware, and the right to develop ODVA-conformant products. Conformance testing — conducted through a global network of ODVA-accredited Test Service Provider locations using ODVA's Protocol Conformance Test Suite — is mandatory before any product can be marketed as ODVA CONFORMANT, and a Declaration of Conformity is issued upon successful testing. Supporting services include the Developer's Toolbox for EtherNet/IP, EZ-EDS tooling, ODVACompress, technology training, the annual ODVA Industry Conference, and the ODVA Marketplace, which catalogs conformant products by technology, vendor, and category.

The organization's go-to-market combines direct membership sales with event-driven engagement (annual Industry Conference, PlugFests, training, roundtables) and ecosystem-driven adoption through content, news, and developer resources. Operating geographies span the United States (HQ), Japan (jp.odva.org), and global Test Service Provider locations supporting members across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. ODVA is governed by its Principal Voting Members, operates independently of venture or private equity capital, and is positioned as the steward of an open, vendor-independent interoperability standard for industrial automation.

Name

ODVA

Legal name

ODVA

Website

https://odva.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ODVA is a global membership-based standards development organization that develops and licenses the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, ControlNet, and CompoNet, serving industrial automation equipment manufacturers and end users seeking interoperable multi-vendor networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Communication Protocols

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Control & Automation Electronics Manufacturing Services (PLCs, I/O, DCS/SCADA hardware) (IMAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN), Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics) (IMAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Industrial communication protocols
• Industrial automation standards
• Conformance testing services
• Industrial Ethernet networking
• Manufacturing automation technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Licensing: Companies pay membership fees and licensing fees to become ODVA Members and Licensed Vendors. Licensed Vendors must have: 1) Application and Agreement for Membership and Terms of Usage (TOU); 2) Vendor ID (VID); and 3) current subscription to the technical specification.
2. Technical Specifications Subscriptions: Technical Specifications are distributed on a subscription basis. Licensed Vendors must maintain a current subscription to the relevant licensed technology to retain Licensed Vendor privileges.
3. Vendor ID (VID): Unique Vendor IDs are assigned to Licensed Vendors and recorded in product firmware. VID is required by the TOU and distributed by ODVA in electronic lists.
4. Conformance Testing Services: Conformance testing is required before products implementing ODVA technologies can be sold. Licensed Vendors can order conformance testing through ODVA's global Test Service Provider (TSP) locations. Following successful testing, ODVA issues a Declaration of Conformity (DOC).
5. Conformance Test Software: ODVA provides Protocol Conformance Test Suite software - the same software used by Test Service Providers to determine product conformance. Available for order through the ODVA order form.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ODVA develops, maintains, and licenses the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™) and its associated network technologies—EtherNet/IP™, DeviceNet®, ControlNet®, and CompoNet®—along with Distinctive CIP Services (CIP Safety, CIP Security, CIP Motion, CIP Sync, CIP Energy) for industrial automation. The organization licenses these standards to industrial automation manufacturers (Licensed Vendors), assigns Vendor IDs (VIDs), and requires products to pass vendor-independent conformance testing at ODVA-accredited Test Service Provider (TSP) locations before receiving a Declaration of Conformity.

Product overview

ODVA is a standards development organization and membership association that maintains and evolves the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™) and its associated network technologies. The portfolio includes core network technologies: EtherNet/IP™ (industrial Ethernet), DeviceNet®, ControlNet®, and CompoNet®, which share CIP as their common foundation. ODVA also offers five Distinctive CIP Services that extend CIP's capabilities: CIP Security™ (cybersecurity), CIP Safety™ (functional safety to SIL3), CIP Motion™ (high-performance motion control), CIP Sync™ (time synchronization), and CIP Energy™ (energy optimization). Supporting the standards ecosystem, ODVA provides conformance testing services, a Protocol Conformance Test Suite for self-testing, the Developer's Toolbox for EtherNet/IP, and maintains the ODVA Marketplace featuring thousands of conformant products from member companies worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™) The foundational communication protocol for industrial automation that serves as the basis for all ODVA network technologies, enabling device-level to enterprise-level connectivity with enhanced services. Licensed to industrial automation manufacturers who develop and sell ODVA CONFORMANT products.
• EtherNet/IP™ Industrial Ethernet network solution for manufacturing automation, supporting real-time control and information data collection across plant-floor devices. Licensed to industrial automation manufacturers for use in conformant products.
• DeviceNet® Device-level network technology connecting industrial devices such as sensors, actuators, and motor drives to a common network. Licensed to industrial automation manufacturers.
• ControlNet® Network technology designed for industrial control applications requiring deterministic communication. Licensed to industrial automation manufacturers.
• CompoNet®

Quantifiable outcome

• EtherNet/IP introduced in 2001 and has become the most developed, proven and complete industrial Ethernet network solution for manufacturing automation

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered principal.

• Rockwell Automation/Allen-BradleyprincipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley is a Principal Voting Member of ODVA (Vendor ID 1). As a founding-level member, they are deeply involved in the development of ODVA standards and offer the most extensive range of ODVA-conformant products including controllers, I/O, drives, safety equipment, and managed switches across EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, and ControlNet technologies.
• Schneider ElectricprincipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchneider Electric is a Principal Member of ODVA (Vendor ID 243). They provide extensive EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet products including motor controls, drives, communication modules, and PLCs. Their mission emphasizes advocacy of open standards and partnership ecosystems.
• Omron CorporationprincipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOmron Corporation is a Principal Member of ODVA. They develop and manufacture automation products using ODVA technologies for global markets.
• Endress+HauserprincipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndress+Hauser is a Principal Voting Member of ODVA (Vendor ID 1182). Based in Switzerland, they offer EtherNet/IP products including sensors, process instruments, and gateways such as the WirelessHART Fieldgate SWG70. They are involved in Process Automation SIG initiatives.
• Honeywell International Inc.principalStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoneywell International Inc. is a Principal Member of ODVA. They offer industrial automation products using ODVA technologies and participate in standards development activities.
• HARTING, Inc. of North AmericaprincipalStrategic or Co-development PartnerHARTING is a Principal Member of ODVA (Vendor ID 778). Based in Elgin, Illinois, they provide physical layer components including HARAX M12 D-Coding Connectors and industrial Ethernet patch cables for EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI): PI is the closest direct peer to ODVA: a global standards and conformance organization governing PROFINET and PROFIBUS – the principal competing industrial Ethernet and fieldbus protocols. It sells comparable membership, specification subscriptions, and conformance testing, competing head-to-head with ODVA for OEM and end-user mindshare in factory automation.
• EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG): ETG maintains and promotes EtherCAT, a high-performance industrial Ethernet protocol with strong adoption in motion-control applications – the same use case ODVA targets with CIP Motion. Both organizations monetize through membership, conformance testing, and specification licensing in the same OEM customer base.
• OPC Foundation: OPC Foundation manages the OPC UA interoperability standard for industrial data exchange, which ODVA explicitly cites as an IIoT/Industry 4.0 market driver and interworking target. Both are membership-based standards organizations serving overlapping automation vendors and competing for position as the de facto IIoT information model.
• Sercos International: Sercos International governs the Sercos industrial Ethernet protocol – already named by ODVA as an interoperability partner for CIP Safety. Sercos competes with EtherNet/IP in real-time motion and control, making it a direct protocol-stack rival with a similar membership and conformance-testing business model.
• CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA): CLPA promotes CC-Link IE and related industrial Ethernet networks, primarily backed by Mitsubishi Electric. It is a direct peer to ODVA in both technology scope (industrial Ethernet for automation) and business model (membership-based standards body with conformance testing).
• FieldComm Group: FieldComm Group manages HART and FOUNDATION Fieldbus protocols and Device Description (DD/FDI) specifications, providing the same standards-development, membership, and conformance testing services ODVA offers. It competes particularly for process-automation protocol share that ODVA is targeting via Ethernet-APL.

Emerging players

• IO-Link Consortium: IO-Link (backed by balluff, ifm, Sick, Turck, and others) is a point-to-point digital communication standard for sensors and actuators, overlapping with ODVA's DeviceNet and CompoNet use cases. While smaller in scope, it represents an emerging alternative ODVA members must consider in device-level connectivity.
• AVnu Alliance: AVnu Alliance promotes Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) certification for industrial and pro-AV applications. It is relevant to ODVA as a competing standards ecosystem addressing deterministic Ethernet – an area ODVA addresses via CIP Sync – and overlapping in OEM membership.

Broad incumbents

• Modbus Organization: The Modbus Organization maintains the widely deployed Modbus protocol – a long-standing industrial communication standard. It overlaps with ODVA's mission of open industrial communication protocols and serves a broad, legacy installed base of automation equipment.

Others

• Industrial Internet Consortium / Industry IoT Consortium: The Industry IoT Consortium (formerly Industrial Internet Consortium) drives IIoT reference architectures and use cases, an adjacent ecosystem in which ODVA participates as a member but does not directly compete. Useful as an ecosystem peer framing how CIP/EtherNet/IP interoperates with broader IIoT frameworks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ODVA