New life for PLC market

New analysis from the researcher found that the global market earned revenues of $10.37 billion (£6.7bn) in 2013, and it estimates this will reach $14.58 billion (£9.5bn) in 2018.

Although the market was dragged down in 2012 by the “uncertain economic scenario in the developed world,” Frost & Sullivan said the market had witnessed improvements on the back of increased activity in the construction, water and wastewater, and power industries.

In the coming years, the small and medium PLC segments will be instrumental for market development

F&S report

“In the coming years, the small and medium PLC segments will be instrumental for market development,” it said.

In Europe, the researcher said the drive for efficiency and safety, and requirement to comply with regulations was helping to drive uptake.

“Market progress in the rest of the world is primarily fuelled by the desire to optimise assets, engage in reliable process planning, and achieve operational agility,” it said.

“With increasing customer demand and intense competition among tier-one companies, the global PLC market is poised to witness a surge in technology and pricing innovation,” said Frost & Sullivan’s industrial automation & process control industry analyst, Karthik Sundaram.

“Market participants have been developing products with new design and control functions that surpass traditional definitions.”

Boosting the security features in PLC hardware, software, and the network infrastructure should be a key focus area for product developers, says Sundaram.

“As cyber security influences end-user perception of PLC, addressing threats will be equally important for continued market expansion,” he said.