1. Overview and Importance of PLC
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) plays a vital role in today's industrial automation. It is like the "brain" of industrial production, commanding various equipment to operate efficiently and accurately.
PLC was originally created to serve the automotive industry. In 1968, General Motors developed the first programmable logic controller project, which replaced the hard-wired relay system and greatly improved the centralization of factory production. With the continuous development of technology, the functions of PLC are becoming increasingly powerful.
In industrial automation, PLC can control industrial robots. Industrial robots are multi-joint manipulators or multi-degree-of-freedom manipulators that work by control systems and their own power and are mostly used in industrial production. PLC provides a platform for controlling industrial robots. By writing programs to control the motors of robots, they can operate according to the predetermined standard workflow, reduce the defective rate, and increase unit output.
At the same time, PLC can also coordinate and control various production equipment, such as conveyor belts, AGV self-propelled vehicles, etc. In a production line, multiple industrial robots and other movable equipment need to cooperate with each other, which requires PLC to coordinate and ensure the smooth progress of the entire production process.
For example, in the automotive manufacturing industry, PLC can control robots to perform precise welding, assembly and other tasks, while coordinating the speed and position of the conveyor belt to ensure that parts can be accurately delivered to each workstation. In the electronics manufacturing industry, PLC can control various automation equipment to achieve efficient production of electronic products.
In short, PLC plays an irreplaceable key role in industrial automation. It is an important technical means to achieve intelligent and efficient industrial production.
2. Global PLC Manufacturers
(I) Japanese companies dominate
In the global PLC manufacturer list, Japanese companies performed extremely well, with 9 companies on the list, almost occupying half of the market. Mitsubishi Electric, as an important business unit of Japan's Mitsubishi Group, has a market value of approximately US$28 billion and 350,000 employees. In 2017, its annual revenue reached US$37 billion, and its business covers information and communication systems, electronic components, industrial automation systems and other fields. It is a world leader in satellites, ventilation equipment and other fields. Founded in 1933, Omron has nearly 40,000 employees, a market value of approximately US$14 billion, and annual revenue of more than US$8 billion. Its PLC products range from micro to modular versions, covering areas such as industrial robots and sensors. Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems, once a world-renowned company, has now developed many advanced computing technologies in the industrial field, with a market value of US$36 billion, more than 300,000 employees, and annual revenue of nearly US$90 billion. Its PLC products range from general-purpose to proprietary factory engineering design versions. In addition, giants in the electrical and semiconductor fields such as Panasonic and Toshiba are also involved in the PLC field. These companies have rich product categories and advanced technology, and are particularly competitive in the small PLC market. They occupy a certain market share with high cost-effectiveness and channel advantages.
(II) German companies are strong
German PLC companies are strong. Siemens, as the largest engineering company in Europe, is headquartered in Munich and Berlin, Germany, with a market value of more than US$93 billion, annual revenue of US$87 billion, and a market share of about 30% to 40% in the PLC field. Its SIMATIC series controllers are suitable for various application scenarios, and have developed from the S3 series to the S7 series, with continuous innovation. Although Phoenix Contact is relatively small, it has 16,000 employees and an astonishing annual revenue of 2.3 billion euros. It is a typical "small but beautiful" company with strong technical strength and high product quality. Startups such as Pilz have also occupied a place in the market with their unique technology and high-quality products. German companies have a wide range of products, covering a variety of fields from industrial communications to industrial safety.
(III) The position of American companies
Rockwell Automation and Honeywell Process Control Division in the United States occupy an important position in the global PLC manufacturing field. Rockwell Automation integrates well-known brands in the field of industrial automation and acquired Allen-Bradley for approximately US$1.6 billion as early as 1985. Today, Rockwell Automation is one of the world's largest industrial automation companies, with a market value of $25 billion and annual revenue of about $7 billion. Honeywell Process Control is one of the business units of Honeywell International, whose parent company is headquartered in the United States, has 114,000 employees, annual revenue of nearly $42 billion, and a market value of more than $103 billion. Honeywell competes with Google and IBM in the field of quantum computing, and its Control Edge PLC is one of the first controllers to support the Industrial Internet of Things.
(IV) Taiwan companies on the list
Delta from Taiwan is the world's number one computer power supply manufacturer and has also made significant achievements in PLC manufacturing. The PLC equipment it provides is extremely wide, covering a variety of industries from industrial robots to smart buildings. The product has a unique modular system and a "hot-swap" system that allows replacement without stopping the entire operation. Delta has been committed to the PLC market since the launch of its first small PLC in 1999. After nearly 20 years of development, the product line covers small, high-performance modular general-purpose and modular medium-sized PLCs, which are widely used in food and pharmaceutical, electronic processing, packaging machinery and other fields. Delta continues to expand its market share with high quality, high performance and high applicability, and has become an excellent representative of Chinese brands in the global PLC market.
3. Top 10 PLC manufacturers in the world
(I) Siemens
As the largest engineering company in Europe, Siemens has a clear leading position in the PLC field. According to data estimates, its market share is about 30% to 40%. Siemens provides the IoT operating system MindSphere, automation and industrial software for discrete manufacturing, industrial communications and industrial safety industries. SIMATIC is Siemens' unique automation product brand, which has developed from the S3 series to the S7 series. It is small in size, fast, standardized, has network communication capabilities, stronger functions and high reliability. For example, the powerful performance and wide applicability of the S7-1500 CPU make it the first choice for many industries.
(II) Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley
Rockwell Automation integrates well-known brands in the field of industrial automation, among which Allen-Bradley was founded in 1903 and has a long history. Rockwell Automation acquired Allen-Bradley for approximately $1.6 billion as early as 1985, and has now become one of the world's largest industrial automation companies. Its ControlLogix and CompactLogix series products are known for their powerful processing speed, wide range of module options, and seamless integration with other Rockwell Automation products, and enjoy extremely high popularity and market share in North America.
(III) Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi Electric has a market value of approximately $28 billion and employs 350,000 people. Its business covers information and communication systems, electronic components, industrial automation systems and other fields. In terms of PLC manufacturing, Mitsubishi Electric's advantages lie in discrete control and motion control, rich instructions, dedicated positioning instructions, and easy control of servo and stepper. Its products include FR-FX1N, FR-FX2N, FR-FX3U and other series, which are widely used in various industrial fields.
(IV) Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French multinational company. In the field of PLC manufacturing, one of its brands, Modicon, produced the first PLC in the United States as early as 1968. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, Schneider Electric emerged in 1999. Today, Schneider Electric has 135,000 employees, a market value of approximately US$55 billion, and annual revenue of more than 27 billion euros. Its products are used as the unified platform for future mid-to-high-end PLCs through Unity Pro software.
(V) ABB
Swiss industrial giant ABB has launched many new products, such as the world's first truly collaborative robot "YuMi" and the industrial Internet of Things platform Ability. ABB has a market value of US$50 billion, annual revenue of US$28 billion, and 144,000 employees. Its PLC products include five series: AC800F, AC800M, AC700F, AC500, and AC500-eco. The rich fieldbus interfaces can realize functions such as controller redundancy, communication redundancy, and power redundancy.
(VI) Honeywell Process Control Division
Honeywell Process Control Division is one of the business units of Honeywell International. The parent company is headquartered in the United States, has 114,000 employees, annual revenue of nearly US$42 billion, and a market value of more than US$103 billion. Its Control Edge PLC is one of the first controllers to support Honeywell's industrial Internet of Things. The PLC currently provided belongs to its Control Edge series.
(VII) Omron
Founded in 1933, Japan's Omron Corporation has nearly 40,000 employees, a market value of approximately US$14 billion, and annual revenue of more than US$8 billion. In terms of PLC manufacturing, Omron is an expert in PLCs with a wide range of products, including micro and modular versions. Its PLC series covers areas such as industrial robots and sensors, can be used in packaging systems, and supports HACCP process handling standards.
(VIII) Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems
Hitachi has developed many advanced computing technologies in the industrial field, with a market value of US$36 billion, more than 300,000 employees, and annual revenue of nearly US$90 billion. Its PLC products range from general-purpose to proprietary factory engineering design versions, and it also has a good product line in smart TVs.
(IX) IDEC
Japan's IDEC is a small company with a market value of $523 million and annual revenue of about $500 million. Its PLC is supported by Ethernet networks, and the equipment can be accessed through traditional browsers, allowing customers to remotely monitor machinery. Its MicroSmart Pentra PLC enables customers to monitor in real time, receive email alerts, and customize their own web pages.
(X) Brief Introduction of Other Manufacturers
In addition to the above manufacturers, the other manufacturers on the list also have their own characteristics. For example, B&R Industrial Automation is a relatively young Austrian company founded in 1979 with 190 offices in 68 countries. Phoenix Contact is a small private company in Germany, but with an annual revenue of an astonishing 2.3 billion euros, providing different types of PLCs, some of which are specialized for building infrastructure. There is also South Korea's LS Industrial PLC, which was spun off from South Korea's LG Electronics Group. It has about 3,500 employees, annual sales revenue of about US$2 billion, and a market value of about US$1.4 billion. Its product range includes specialized motion and positioning modules. IDEC Izumi PLC in Japan is supported by Ethernet network, and its equipment can be accessed through traditional browsers, making it convenient for customers to remotely monitor machinery. These manufacturers have their own contributions in the global PLC manufacturing field and jointly promote the development of the industry.