Significant ‘others’

Control Engineering may be 50 years old, but we're never too old to learn. This year, we learned something very important about our purchasing study after placing the database online in searchable form in our Resource Center (http://resource.controleng.com). We learned about the significant impact "others" can make.

By Staff November 1, 2004

Control Engineering may be 50 years old, but we’re never too old to learn. This year, we learned something very important about our purchasing study after placing the database online in searchable form in our Resource Center ( / ). We learned about the significant impact “others” can make.

Digging into the “other” section of the purchasing study—where respondents can place verbatim information about products purchased from vendors not included in the aided (pull-down menu) list—illustrates that:

  • Respondents often listed companies available for selection in the aided list in the “other” section using different names or spellings; and

  • A number of companies that appeared in the “other” section appear to be selling significant numbers of units to our readership.

To help correct these issues in the short term—before the purchasing study is conducted again in 2006—we are listing here eight product categories in which the “other” category showed significant purchases for companies not included in the aided list. We are also presenting corrected figures for those companies that were included in the aided list, but had additional entries placed in the “other” category under different company references. (For example, in the HMI/SCADA category, Wonderware was listed three times in “other” under different spelling variations. Those entries should have been listed in the pull-down menu under Invensys, Wonderware’s parent company).

Confusion over correct company reference is not a new concern in the automation industry, but it has become especially difficult to keep up with over the past decade as mergers and acquisitions have increased dramatically. That’s why we feel making these corrections is a critical component of our pledge to provide Control Engineering readers with as much clarification about changes affecting the automation and control industry as possible.

In keeping with the spirit of clarification driving this release of information, it should be made clear that the lists below are not complete listings of all companies included in the “other” area for these categories. Only those companies that sold at least 10% of the average units sold in that category are included. The low percentage for inclusion was set because each “other” entry is submitted by one respondent, whereas the aided list selections could have entries from numerous respondents.

Going forward, those companies new to our list via the “other” section—those that sold a significant number of units and fall within an average dollar amount for the category—will be added to the aided list in the survey, so that future purchasing study results will more accurately reflect the market.

We may be 50, but we’re definitely not too old to make the right changes.

AC motors

Company Units Dollars
(* should be added into Rockwell/A-B entry, bringing its total to 195 units and $273,500)
Reliance Electric 11 $22,000*
Reuland 1,000 $500,000
Tatung 28 $65,000
WEG 14 $13,500

Advanced optimization software & related computing hardware

Company Units Dollars
Beckhoff 30 $150,000
National Instruments 5 $7,500

Control valves, actuators, and related accessories

Company Units Dollars
(*should be added into Emerson Process Mgt. entry, bringing its total to 1,511 units and $3,670,000)
Bosch-Rexroth 20 $20,000
Cashco 20 $40,000
Fisher Control 11 $65,000*
Flowserve (Worcester) 20 $36,900
ITT 5,000 $10,000,000
Mars Valve 40 $20,000
Marsh Bellofram 19 $5,500
Paine Electronics 30 $60,000
Parker 20 $5,000
WKM 40 $30,000

HMI/SCADA and operator interface hardware (including PCs)

Company Units Dollars
(*should be added into Invensys Production Mgt. entry, bringing its total to 95 units and $245,000)
AVG 3 $7,800
Beckhoff 10 $25,000
Control Microsystems 10 $40,000
Iconics 3 $4,500
Wonderware 12 $37,000*

PLC hardware and software

Company Units Dollars
(*should be added into Schneider Electric entry, bringing its total to 142 units and $460,800)
Aromat 8 $5,500
Control Microsystems 6 $20,000
Idec 3 $1,200
Telemecanique 20 $30,000*
Wago 100 $150,000

I/O products & systems

Company Units Dollars
Beckhoff 20 $15,000
Emerson 12 $2,500
Opto 22 100 $80,000
Parker 6 $15,000
Quatech 10 $1,000
Wago 10 $5,000

Sensors and/or transmitters

Company Units Dollars
(*should be added into Emerson Process Mgt. entry, bringing its total to 871 units and $1,471,500)
Analog Devices 8 $600
AutomationDirect 20 $5,000
Banner 6 $600
Bristol Babcock 4 $900
Controlotron 6 $30,000
Dytran 8 $4,000
Heitronics 6 $30,000
Keyence 12 $5,400
Laurel 4 $1,500
Micron Instruments 50 $7,500
Minco 10 $2,000
Omron 200 $10,000
Pepperl + Fuchs 2,015 $77,000
Pyromation 9 $3,400
Raytek 30 $3,000
Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley 50 $5,000
Rosemount 13 $30,000 *
Teledyne 8 $1,000
Temperature Specialists 18 $837
Veriteq Instruments 20 $10,000
Warrick 14 $5,000
Wilcoxon Research 50 $16,500

PC-based control software

Company Units Dollars
3S 25 $15,000
Axeda 4 $40,000
Beckhoff 6 $76,200
ISaGRAF 2 $50,000