Control Engineering 2015 System Integration Study

Respondents to the Control Engineering 2015 System Integration Study identified six high-level findings regarding the impact of integrating systems today:

1. Project involvement: The majority of respondents (69%) perform system integration services, either in-house or to third parties. On average, respondents reported working on or outsourcing 15 system integration projects per year.
2. Average project size: The average system integration project size that respondents are involved with is $250,000, with 19% of system integration projects valued at $500,000 or more.
3. Devices integrated: Two-thirds of respondents’ firms have integrated and/or plan to integrate software; human-machine interface hardware/equipment, operator interface, etc.; and programmable logic controllers or programmable action controllers.
4. On time deliverables: During the past 12 months, an average of 66% of system integration projects respondents were involved in was on time. Primary causes of delays fall on unexpected changes in scope, decisions, and late approvals.
5. Project effectiveness: Forty-five percent of respondents said automation system integration has been highly effective in their facilities, and another 47% rate is as moderately effective. Respondents traditionally measure project effectiveness by return on investment, whether the project was on time/on budget, and change in productivity levels.
6. Challenges: System integrators continue to struggle with hiring engineering talent for system integration and industry experience. Other challenges include a lack of communication, finding useful continuing education programs, and keeping up with competition.

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