Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and PLC-based Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs)

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and PLC-based PAC Market Research delivers current market analysis plus a five year market and technology forecast. It is available in multiple editions including worldwide, all regions, and most major countries.

PLC and PLC-based PAC Market Grows and Adapts to Industrial IoT

The worldwide Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and PLC-based PACs market returned to a reliable, mid-single-digit growth in 2022. However, this growth behavior masks a combination of market dynamics of price hikes, currency fluctuations, and large backorders. Much of the growth was due to inflation-induced price hikes imposed by suppliers in 2021 and 2022, as well as to the enormous backlogs accrued by suppliers due to chip shortages. ARC's PLC research tracks shipments and not orders, and many suppliers shipped PLC systems in 2022 that had been ordered the previous year with long lead times. Finally, currency fluctuations played an outsized role in stymieing market growth measured in US dollars.

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Strategic Issues 

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Market TrendsIn addition to providing a five-year market forecast, the PLC and PLC-based PACs market research provides detailed quantitative current market data and addresses key strategic issues as follows.

Embrace Open Standards

Open standards help end users free themselves from the grip of proprietary technologies, paving the way for greater choice. Standards reduce engineering time when users apply pre-engineered templates to integrated products or design processes. End users should familiarize themselves with current and emerging standards and decide how these can be applied to improve efficiency and cut the costs of future projects.

OPC UA Is the Universal Language of Automation

OPC UA is more than just an open protocol for machine-to-machine communication. The complete specification contains protocols for both peer-to-peer and master-slave communication (the latter is the new Publish/Subscribe model that allows controllers to communicate deterministically with field devices). OPC UA also includes a growing number of companion specifications that are essentially information models that standardize semantics for devices and applications. End users should understand the value of using OPC UA for integrating systems and devices from different suppliers.

Explore Modular Production    

Thanks to Industrial IoT, future automation architectures will support modular machine construction and distributed control, fulfilling a dream of distributed architectures that dates back to the 1990s. In the process industries, consortia are developing specifications for machine type packages (MTP) that support standardization of modular architectures, most of which are based on PLCs. The success of standardized modular architectures will likely spill over to most other industries when the business benefits become clear.

PLCs and PLC-based PACs Research Formats and Editions Available

This market research may be purchased as a MIRA Service, an Excel Workbook, and/or as a Market Analysis Report (PDF). MIRA Services help unlock the full benefits of ARC’s market intelligence, making the data more actionable for you by adding qualitative context to our market data in an online environment unique to each customer. Regional editions include country and industry market data. Formats available are listed below:

MIRA Services MIRA Workbook Market Analysis PDF
Annual Subscription Yes No No
Worldwide (includes regional data) Yes Yes Yes
North America (includes regional data) Yes Yes No
Europe, Middle East, Africa (includes regional data) Yes Yes No
Asia (includes regional data) Yes Yes No
Latin America (includes regional data) Yes Yes No

Table of contents for this research is shown in the following paragraphs.

Worldwide Market Research Focus Areas

Strategic Analysis

  • Executive Overview
  • Market Trends
  • Buyer Strategies
  • Supplier Strategies
  • Growth Contributors and Inhibitors

Competitive Analysis

  • Market Shares for Leading Suppliers
  • Market Shares by Region
    • North America
    • Europe, Middle East, Africa
    • Asia
    • Latin America
  • Market Shares by Revenue Category
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
  • Market Shares by Hardware Type
    • Operator Interface
    • Nano Controller
    • Micro Controller
    • Small Controller
    • Large Controller
    • Other Controller
    • Unbundled I/O
  • Market Shares by Software Type
    • Programming
    • Templates and Libraries
  • Market Shares by Service Type
    • Automation Training
    • Spare Part Contracts
    • Maintenance Contracts
    • Software Updates
  • Market Shares by Industry
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Automotive
    • Buildings
    • Cement & Glass
    • Chemical
    • Electric Power Generation
    • Electric Power T&D
    • Electronics & Electrical
    • Fabricated Metals
    • Food & Beverage
    • Machinery
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Oil & Gas
    • Pharmaceutical & Biotech
    • Pulp & Paper
    • Refining
    • Semiconductors
    • Water & Wastewater
  • Market Shares by Machinery Segment
  • Market Shares by PAC and Standard PLCs 
  • Market Shares by Sales Channel
  • Market Shares by Customer Type

Market Forecasts & Histories

  • Total PLC and PLC-based PAC Business Including Hardware, Software, and Services
  • Shipments by Region
    • North America
    • Europe, Middle East, Africa
    • Asia
    • Latin America
  • Shipments by Revenue Category
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
  • Shipments by Hardware Type
    • Operator Interface
    • Nano Controller
    • Micro Controller
    • Small Controller
    • Large Controller
    • Other Controller
    • Unbundled I/O
  • Shipments by Software Type
    • Programming
    • Templates and Libraries
  • Shipments by Service Type
    • Automation Training
    • Spare Part Contracts
    • Maintenance Contracts
    • Software Updates
  • Shipments by Industry
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Automotive
    • Building Automation
    • Cement & Glass
    • Chemical
    • Electronics & Electrical
    • Electric Power Generation
    • Electric Power T&D
    • Fabricated Metals
    • Food & Beverage
    • Machinery
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Oil & Gas
    • Pharmaceutical & Biotech
    • Pulp & Paper
    • Refining
    • Semiconductor
    • Water & Wastewater
  • Shipments by Machinery Segment
  • Shipments by PAC and Standard PLCs
  • Shipments by Sales Channel
  • Shipments by Customer Type

Industry Participants

The research identifies all relevant suppliers serving this market. 

Regional Market Research Focus Areas

Strategic Analysis

Competitive Analysis

  • Leading Suppliers in Region
  • Industry Shares in Region
  • Country Shares in Region
  • Leading Suppliers by Industry

Market History & Forecast Analysis 

  • Market History & Forecast by Country
  • Market History & Forecast by Industry

Industry Participants

List of countries & currencies included in each region: MIRA-Country

For More Information

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