Nearly every material handling system, not to mention nearly every type of automation system, uses a PLC to control operations. The Programmable Logic Controller market experienced healthy growth in 2008, said a report from the ARC Advisory Group. The market, however, is expected to contract severely in 2009, and resume growth in 2010 and beyond. Manufacturing and infrastructure industries will invest in automation to save energy, increase productivity, and upgrade existing facilities once the economic turmoil settles. As a result, the worldwide market for PLCs is expected to grow over the next five years.
2008 was not a bad year for automation. The PLC market grew at a moderate rate in spite of the economic trouble that started in the US at the end of 2007. In 2010 manufacturing and infrastructure industries are expected to review their strategies to employ more automation that reduces the basic cost of operations and become more ‚‘sustainable‚’. The globalization environment will once again cause manufacturing companies to invest in creating new capacities in developing economies for various industries such as chemical, cement, electrical power, and pharmaceutical.
Once China and India resume their GDP growth, it will create demand for a broad range of products, driven by increased consumer consumption and additional infrastructure projects. This will increase the demand for more automation in the oil & gas, metals & mining, and cement & glass industries, as well as many other segments of the process and discrete industries.
For more information on this study, Programmable Logic Controller Worldwide Outlook, go to: www.arcweb.com/res/plc
ARC Advisory Group
www.arcweb.com
::Design World::
Filed Under: Material handling • converting, PLCs + PACs
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