The most read Control Engineering articles from March reflected a strong focus on practical performance gains, long-term transformation, cybersecurity, software-defined automation and AI-driven manufacturing strategies.
March’s most-read articles on Control Engineering highlight an industry focused on practical performance gains and long-term transformation. Readers looked for guidance on PID tuning, servo drive safety and data acquisition, while also exploring cybersecurity threats with real-world physical consequences, lifecycle-ready AI and software-defined automation. Interest in enterprise-wide software and digital transformation stories suggests engineers are thinking beyond isolated tools and toward more connected, scalable strategies. Along with findings from the 2026 State of Automation report, March’s top stories reflect a manufacturing sector working to balance innovation, safety, interoperability and measurable business value.
1. PID spotlight, part 25: Navigating PID controller tuningÂ
Is there an easy path for PID controller tuning, especially for those who aren’t experts? What’s the minimum I need to know to succeed at PID tuning?
2. Ctrl+Alt+Mfg Ep. 9: When cyberattacks go physical, with Ian Bramson of Black & Veatch
Why clean builds, supply-chain visibility, AI-driven defense and a back-to-basics approach are becoming essential for securing industrial operations.
3. Lifecycle-ready AI: unlocking value at every stage of process manufacturing
The most successful AI deployments in process industries don’t happen in isolation but are instead embedded across the full automation lifecycle, from planning to upgrades.
4. State of Automation 2026: Which technologies give early adopters the edge?
What are early automation adopter benefits? Examine State of Automation 2026 analytics, emerging technologies in Control Engineering’s research report.
5. New projects for open process automation, software-defined automation
ARC Leadership Forum, 2026: More Open Process Automation projects are underway. Compliant software-defined automation, open ecosystems and interoperability tests help flexibility, reusability, reliability, capabilities and ease of use at a lower cost than traditional distributed control systems.
6. Digital transformation in print manufacturing: from manual processes to smart production
How a traditional print production process modernized into a smart, scalable system that reduced errors, improved traceability and increased throughput.
7. Data acquisition: Faster decisions, greater efficiency, 3 more benefits
Smarter data acquisition benefits include a seven-time return on investment (ROI) in under a year by improving reliability and reducing downtime and increased product output by 14% and reduced packaging waste and machine idle time costs in another application.
8. Today’s industrial operations need software that spans the enterprise
From enabling enterprise-wide visibility and evergreen operation to reducing standards compliance gaps, next-generation control technologies are giving manufacturers the tools to operate more efficiently, standardize more easily and stay ahead in a competitive global marketplace.
9. Servo drive safety integrated functions: How to maximize fail-safe behavior
Maximize fail-safe behavior so that for any single fault, the system is transitioned to a safe state. When creating the system’s communication and structure, reaction time in safe events can be the difference between a safe stop and machine failure.
10. Ctrl+Alt+Mfg Ep. 10: Modernization vs. digital transformation, with Dan Furrow and Luis Atencio of Wesco
Dan Furrow and Luis Atencio of Wesco on breaking data silos, orchestrating systems and delivering real plant-floor value. Why the right questions — not just new technology — determine success on the plant floor.
Check out the top articles from February here.
