DIN rail industrial PC market to grow quickly in 2013

For industrial PCs (IPCs), IHS projects a revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2011 and 2016.

By IHS Inc. March 5, 2013

The DIN rail industrial PC (IPC) market is projected the fastest growth of all industrial PC types in 2013, according to a recently published report by IMS Research – now part of IHS Inc.

IHS senior analyst for IPCs Toby Colquhoun commented, “DIN rail IPCs are not new in the IPC market, but several trends have coincided to seed growth for the future. First, control engineers have increasing confidence in PC-based technology for critical tasks, whereas in the past using a programmable logic controller (PLC) was the only acceptable solution. Second, most manufacturing organisations continue to connect factory and enterprise networks. As enterprise networks are typically PC-based, DIN rail IPCs allow seamless integration between decision makers and the factory floor.”

“DIN rail IPC suppliers have reacted appropriately to customer requirements, and have begun to offer next generation products. In 2011, Advantech and Beckhoff were estimated to account for most revenues. IHS projects the future market structure will differ as new DIN rail IPC suppliers – such as Siemens, IEI, and Nexcom – offer new products and reach new customers.”

Beyond traditional industrial automation applications, DIN rail IPC adoption continues to grow in transportation and building automation. IHS projects a revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2011 and 2016, which is significantly higher than the IPC market average of 9%.

“The World Market for Industrial PCs – 2013 Edition” is available now. DIN rail IPCs are just one of eight products comprehensively analyzed.

– Edited and posted by Control Engineering, CFE Media; see other automation research results.