11/1/2017

The 2017 Programmable Controller Software & Hardware Study unveiled several key findings regarding what end users expect and how they purchase or specify industrial controller software and hardware:

1. Usage of industrial controller software, hardware: Programmable controller software or hardware is most commonly used for discrete and continuous manufacturing (22%), continuous manufacturing (22%), or continuous and batch manufacturing purposes (19%).
2. Justifications: The top situations in which end users purchase new industrial controller software and/or hardware are an automation upgrade (67%), a new installation (56%), and an operations/engineering upgrade (44%).
3. Annual spend: Over the past 12 months, the average respondent’s company was estimated to have been spent $158,000 on industrial controller software and hardware; and an average of $157,000 is expected to be spent in the next year on these products.
4. Purpose: More than half of respondents already use industrial controllers to help with remote monitoring and maintenance tasks; another 39% use these products for simulations, and 29% as a mobile interface for alarming. (See Figure 1)
5. Cybersecurity: Seventy-six percent of respondents reported that their companies restrict access to controllers in an effort to protect these devices; 55% have increased password protection procedures.
6. Looking ahead: Eight in 10 end users expect to buy industrial controller software or hardware in the next 12 months; end users expect to use/purchase an average of 9 industrial controllers during this time frame.

Access the full 2017 Programmable Controller Software & Hardware report here.