I. Core Views
1.1 The PLC Competition Landscape in the Automotive Industry is Initially Emerging
In the automotive industry, PLC manufacturers are competing fiercely. From a global market perspective, European and American manufacturers have a strong voice in the medium and large PLC market, such as Germany's Siemens, the United States' Rockwell, and France's Schneider. Japanese manufacturers are deeply engaged in the small and medium-sized PLC market, such as Japan's Mitsubishi Electric and Omron. As the leader of industrial control, Siemens covers all types of PLCs, small, medium and large, and has a high market share in the automotive industry. Although Rockwell of the United States only accounts for 5.4% of the overall market, it is the absolute leader in the field of large PLCs, especially in the field of automobile manufacturing. Mitsubishi and Omron rely on their high cost-effectiveness and channel advantages to occupy a certain share in the small and medium-sized PLC market.
1.2 Advantageous manufacturers lead the development of the industry
PLC manufacturers with outstanding performance have played a leading role in the development of the automotive industry. For example, Siemens provides stable and reliable automation solutions for the automotive industry with its comprehensive product line and strong technical strength. Among the four major processes of automobile production lines, Siemens PLC products are widely used in stamping, welding, assembly and painting, achieving highly automated control of production lines. Rockwell's professional technology in the field of large-scale PLCs provides efficient control solutions for automobile manufacturing, improving production efficiency and product quality. Mitsubishi and Omron's advantages in the small and medium-sized PLC market meet the needs of automobile parts manufacturers and provide support for the diversified development of the automobile industry.
1.3 Future development challenges and opportunities coexist
Automotive industry PLC manufacturers face many challenges. On the one hand, the technology is updated quickly, and continuous investment in research and development is required to maintain competitiveness. On the other hand, with the popularization of industrial automation, network security issues are becoming increasingly prominent, and PLC manufacturers need to strengthen security measures to prevent hacker attacks and data leaks. However, challenges are accompanied by opportunities. With the development of new energy vehicle technology, the automotive manufacturing industry is moving towards electrification, intelligence, and networking, and the demand for PLC products will continue to increase. At the same time, the rise of the domestic market provides development opportunities for domestic PLC manufacturers. With the continuous development of the domestic manufacturing industry, the market demand for PLC technology continues to grow. Domestic PLC manufacturers can take advantage of local advantages, strengthen technology research and development, improve product quality and reliability, and expand market share.
II. Market situation analysis
2.1 Driving factors of PLC demand in the automotive industry
2.1.1 Demand for automation upgrades in the automotive industry
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the level of automation in the automotive industry is becoming increasingly demanding. The automotive manufacturing industry is large in scale and involves many automation technologies and products. As the core device of industrial control, PLC plays a vital role in the automotive manufacturing process. The automobile production line is divided into four major processes: stamping, welding, assembly and painting. Each process requires a large number of PLCs for control. For example, in the stamping workshop, except for the manipulator, all other controls are controlled by PLC; the welding workshop is mainly used for transmission control, and one production line uses 5-8 PLCs; the PLC in the assembly workshop is mainly used for conveyor line control; the PLC on the elevated line is used for engine control of the rear axle and front axle, and the final assembly line is used for test control and mobile control of each workstation. Technological progress has brought higher production efficiency and more precise control, but also put forward higher requirements for the performance of PLC. For example, with the advancement of intelligent manufacturing and Industry 4.0, PLC needs to have stronger network communication capabilities to achieve remote monitoring and management to meet the needs of automation upgrades in the automotive industry.
2.1.2 Impact of policies and regulations on automobile manufacturing
Policies and regulations have an important role in promoting and restricting automobile manufacturing and PLC applications. On the one hand, with the improvement of environmental awareness, governments of various countries have introduced strict environmental protection regulations, requiring automobile manufacturers to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. These regulations have prompted companies to increase R&D investment in new energy vehicles, clean production, etc., and promote technological innovation and green development. As an important control device in the automobile manufacturing process, PLC also needs to be continuously upgraded and improved to meet the requirements of automobile manufacturers for automated control and energy conservation and emission reduction. On the other hand, policies and regulations have regulated market access and technical standards in the automotive manufacturing industry, raised industry barriers, and promoted orderly competition in the market. At the same time, policies and regulations have also put forward requirements for the security protection of industrial control systems, such as strengthening network security protection capabilities and improving industrial information security management regulations, which has also prompted PLC manufacturers to strengthen security protection measures and improve product safety and reliability.
2.2 Panoramic decoding of the industry
2.2.1 Full-dimensional scanning of the current status of the industry
Currently, the automotive industry PLC market is huge and maintains a steady growth trend. According to data from market research institutions, in terms of application, the automotive industry is the largest downstream field of PLC, accounting for about 47% of the market share. The core manufacturers of programmable logic controllers in the world include Siemens, Rockwell (A - B) and Mitsubishi, etc. The top three manufacturers account for about 54% of the global market share. In the automotive industry, PLC products of different sizes are widely used. Small PLCs are mainly used in automotive parts manufacturers, such as conveyor control, oven control cabinets and air conditioning control; medium-sized PLCs have the largest proportion and are mainly used in various links of automobile production lines; large PLCs are mainly used in the field of automobile manufacturing, and have relatively high requirements for product safety, reliability, stability and network communication capabilities.
2.2.2 Multi-dimensional Perspective of the Competition Landscape
Each PLC manufacturer has different competitive strategies and areas of strength in the automotive industry. As the leader of industrial control, Siemens has a high market share in the automotive industry with its comprehensive product line, strong technical strength and good brand recognition. Its products cover all types of small, medium and large PLCs, and can provide automotive manufacturers with a full range of automation solutions. Although Rockwell in the United States only accounts for 5.4% of the overall market, it is an absolute leader in the field of large PLCs, especially in the field of automobile manufacturing. Its competitive strategy is mainly to focus on the large PLC market and provide high-performance and high-reliability products. Japanese manufacturers Mitsubishi and Omron have been deeply involved in the small and medium-sized PLC market, relying on their high cost-performance and channel advantages to occupy a certain share among auto parts manufacturers. Their competitive strategy is to provide PLC products with practical functions and reasonable prices in response to the needs of the auto parts market.
2.3 Accurately diagnose market trends
2.3.1 Dynamic tracking of technological frontiers
The latest development trends of PLC technology in the automotive industry mainly include intelligence and networking. With the application of artificial intelligence, deep learning and big data will be used in production control in the future to further empower PLC. PLC algorithms need to be further optimized and upgraded to meet the requirements of intelligent manufacturing. Based on the combination of artificial intelligence and big data, more practical solutions can be provided to effectively improve the problem-solving capabilities of industrial algorithms and reduce complexity. At the same time, with the expansion of industrial production scale, the cross-device and cross-regional demand for PLCs is increasing simultaneously. After the new communication technology (5G) is gradually applied and implemented in scenarios, PLCs will also achieve Internet + upgrades, have stronger network communication capabilities, and realize remote monitoring and management.
2.3.2 Transmission of consumer demand to automobile manufacturing
Changes in consumer demand have an important impact on automobile manufacturing and PLC applications. As consumers' demands for automobile safety, comfort, intelligence, etc. continue to increase, automobile manufacturers need to continuously upgrade and improve production processes to improve product quality and performance. This requires PLC to have stronger control capabilities and higher precision to meet the requirements of automobile manufacturers for automated control. For example, the increasing demand of consumers for new energy vehicles has prompted automobile manufacturers to increase their R&D investment in the field of new energy vehicles. As an important control device in the manufacturing process of new energy vehicles, PLC also needs to be continuously upgraded and improved to meet the requirements of new energy vehicle manufacturers for automated control and energy conservation and emission reduction. At the same time, consumers' demand for automotive intelligence has also prompted automobile manufacturers to increase their R&D investment in intelligent driving, vehicle networking, etc., which has also put higher demands on the PLC's network communication capabilities and data processing capabilities.
3. Product Research
3.1 Features of major PLC brands
3.1.1 Advantages of Siemens PLC products
Siemens PLC is widely used in the automotive industry, and its product advantages are mainly reflected in the following aspects. First, efficient processing capability is one of its outstanding features. S7-1500 PLC uses advanced processor technology and optimized algorithms, which can quickly process a large number of input and output signals to ensure real-time response of the production line. For example, in the automated production line of a large automobile manufacturer, S7-1500 PLC, as the "brain" of the entire production line, is responsible for receiving instructions from the host computer and accurately controlling multiple high-precision equipment in the three major links of stamping, welding and painting to ensure the smooth progress of the production process. Secondly, it is stable and reliable. The PLC has excellent anti-interference ability and stability, can run stably for a long time in harsh industrial environments, and greatly reduces maintenance costs. In the automobile engine production line, the Siemens S7-1500 series PLC, in conjunction with distributed I/O, realizes the control process requirements of the whole machine intelligent assembly line. The whole line linkage of the engine complete machine intelligent assembly line is all controlled by S7-1500 PLC. The whole line is divided into automatic stations and manual stations. The automatic stations are independently controlled by CPU1517, and the manual stations are independently controlled by CPU1512SP. In addition, it is easy to program. Siemens provides a wealth of programming tools and library functions, allowing engineers to quickly complete PLC programming and debugging. Finally, it is flexible to expand. S7-1500 PLC supports a variety of modules and expansion cards, and can be flexibly configured according to the different needs of the production line.
3.1.2 Mitsubishi PLC Product Features
Mitsubishi PLC has the characteristics of high performance and miniaturized design in the automotive industry. Mitsubishi PLC has a wide range of applications and is used in all aspects of automobile manufacturing. One of the characteristics of Mitsubishi PLC is miniaturization, high speed and high performance, which is the highest grade in the FX series. In addition to the independent use of 16-25 input and output points, it can also be used for special purposes such as connection between multiple basic components, analog control, positioning control, etc. It is a set of PLC that can meet diverse and wide needs. Connecting units or expansions to the basic unit can provide a flexible input and output combination of 16 to 256 points. For example, in the automotive glass automatic detection system, Mitsubishi Q series PLC is used. Through the stepping mode of DECO, the program automatically enters the next step every time the conditions are met. The QD75P positioning module realizes three-axis interpolation, controls the movement of the X, Z, and Y axes, and realizes accurate positioning and detection of glass. The QJ71E71-100 Ethernet module is used to communicate with the computer to realize data transmission and interaction of control instructions. At the same time, Mitsubishi PLC can also be used for the control of circular motion or linear motion, and is widely used in various machinery, machine tools, robots, elevators and other occasions.
3.1.3 Omron PLC Product Features
Omron PLC has advantages such as user-friendly programming environment in the automotive industry. Omron controllers are favored by customers in the automotive industry, and the purchase volume of machine automation controller "NX1" has gradually begun to increase. The advantages of Omron PLC are as follows: "Globally open" controllers that can be used in various countries, supporting global standard industrial networks such as OPC UA, EtherNet/IP™, EtherCAT®, and PLC international standard programming IEC 61131-3 (PLCopen), project managers only need to spend a very short time to complete the instructions and training that were previously required for each country. No computer is needed to meet the needs of information technology such as "IoT", and full traceability can be achieved with only the PLC that controls the device. The cost-saving and space-saving design based on the "advanced architecture" takes into account "control", "information", and "safety" in one unit, making design and setting simple and reducing the setting man-hours. The "modularization" of devices and programs makes modification and expansion smoother, and the "structured programming" that uses software as a functional unit for programming can shorten the time required for design.
3.2 Product application case analysis
3.2.1 Application of Siemens S7-1500 PLC in the automotive industry
The application effect of Siemens S7-1500 PLC in the automotive industry is remarkable. In the automated production line of a large automobile manufacturer, this PLC, as the core control system, realizes precise control of the three major links of stamping, welding and painting. By efficiently processing a large number of input and output signals, the real-time response of the production line is ensured. Its stable and reliable performance enables the production line to operate stably for a long time in harsh industrial environments, greatly reducing maintenance costs. The easy programming feature enables engineers to quickly complete programming and debugging. The flexible expansion feature can be flexibly configured according to the different needs of the production line. In addition, in the automobile engine production line, S7-1500 PLC cooperates with distributed I/O to realize the control process requirements of the whole machine intelligent assembly line. The whole line is equipped with MES for on-site management, ANDON board production is pulled, and the online quality information of the equipment is all uploaded to the MES system through PLC. The tightening workstations all use programmable control electric wrenches or tightening machines to realize linkage control. The pallet is assembled with Moby carrier to realize the storage of production information and quality traceability throughout the process.
3.2.2 Mitsubishi Q series PLC project case
Mitsubishi Q series PLC plays an important role in the automatic detection system of automobile glass. This case adopts the stepping mode of DECO. Every time the conditions are met, the program automatically enters the next step, which improves the stability and reliability of the system. The QD75P positioning module realizes three-axis interpolation, controls the movement of the X, Z, and Y axes, and realizes the precise positioning and detection of glass. The QJ71E71-100 Ethernet module is used to communicate with the computer to realize data transmission and interaction of control instructions. Servo control uses Panasonic servo, and the communication between PLC and servo realizes precise control and adjustment of servo. As an important means of human-computer interaction, touch screen plays an extremely important role in the automatic detection system of automobile glass. Touch screen programming needs to take into account factors such as user-friendliness, interface aesthetics and ease of operation. The knowledge points involved in this case mainly include: the use of Q series large PLC, the application of QD75P positioning module and interpolation function, the configuration and use of Ethernet communication, the principle of servo control and the application of Panasonic servo, and the skills and key points of touch screen programming.
IV. Competition Landscape
4.1 Competition Situation of Global PLC Manufacturers
According to data from market research institutions, in terms of automotive industry applications, the core manufacturers of global editable logic controllers include Siemens, Rockwell (A - B) and Mitsubishi, etc. The top three manufacturers account for about 30% of the global market. 54% of the market share. Among them, Siemens is the world's largest producer of programmable logic controllers, accounting for more than 29% of the market share. In the automotive industry, Siemens has a high market share with its comprehensive product line, strong technical strength and good brand recognition. Its products cover all types of small, medium and large PLCs, and can provide automotive manufacturers with a full range of automation solutions. Although Rockwell in the United States only accounts for 5.4% of the overall market, it is the absolute leader in the field of large PLCs.Especially in the field of automobile manufacturing, it is widely used. Mitsubishi also occupies an important position in the global PLC market. Its competitive advantage in the automotive industry mainly lies in the small and medium-sized PLC market. Relying on its high cost-effectiveness and channel advantages, it occupies a certain share among automotive parts manufacturers.
Omron also has a certain market share in the automotive industry, and its advantages such as user-friendly programming environment are favored by automotive customers. In addition, brands such as Schneider, ABB, GEFanuc, Koyo and LS are also used by specific users. The brand selection in the automotive industry has certain national characteristics. Usually, Japanese automobile companies such as Honda and Nissan will give priority to Mitsubishi's PLC products.
4.2 Current Development Status of Domestic PLC Manufacturers
Currently, domestic PLC manufacturers have a relatively weak market position in the automotive industry, but have great development potential. The main installed base of the domestic PLC market is small and medium-sized PLCs, among which small ones are mainly used in OEM, such as machinery in the textile, packaging, food and other industries. This group accounts for about 78% of the total PLC market size. Domestic PLCs are mainly small, and the leading enterprise is Wuxi Xinjie Electric, which accounts for 9% of the small PLC market, tied for third place with Taiwan's Delta and Japan's Omron. Shenzhen Inovance Technology accounts for 4%. Inovance's PLC business started late. Although its current market share is not as high as Xinjie's, it has great potential for future development. After all, Inovance is the leader in domestic industrial control inverters and servo systems. It can use the advantages of inverters and servo systems for bundled sales. It is only a matter of time before it surpasses Xinjie.
Other domestic brands include Shenzhen's Magmet, Beijing's Hollysys, Shanghai Baosight Software, and Nanda Aotuo. Nanda Aotuo is the company with the highest localization rate. Its major shareholder is the military industry group. It has comprehensive coverage of all types of PLC products, large, medium and small. All products have completely independent intellectual property rights for software and hardware. They are equipped with domestic Loongson processors, Linux or Ruihua operating systems, and their core technologies are independently controllable. At present, it has broken the monopoly of Siemens and other manufacturers in many industries such as water conservancy, hydropower, and wind power, and successfully achieved domestic substitution.
Beijing Hollysys, a long-established PLC company, has always been highly regarded by the industry. Its large-scale PLC products have been installed in subway projects in Beijing, Wuhan, Tianjin and other places. Subway is a field with high requirements for safety and reliability. The use of domestic products at least shows that the technology of its large-scale PLC products has reached safety standards. Shanghai Baosight Software's only self-developed large-scale PLC is mainly for high-end metallurgical equipment. The relevant products have been continuously verified since 2016 and have been successfully verified in multi-rack continuous blasting machines and high-speed processing information groups with the highest control requirements in the metallurgical industry. The performance indicators are comparable to the latest high-end series products of European and American manufacturers, which can be regarded as breaking the high monopoly of Siemens and Rockwell in this field.
Although domestic PLC brands entered the industry relatively late, their independent research and development capabilities are relatively poor, and the phenomenon of imitating foreign brands is relatively serious, it is difficult to catch up with foreign brands in a short period of time. However, domestic brands are constantly improving and catching up, and are slowly breaking the barriers of foreign monopoly in many fields. With the continuous development of the domestic manufacturing industry, the market demand for PLC technology continues to grow. Domestic PLC manufacturers can take advantage of their local advantages, strengthen technology research and development, improve product quality and reliability, and expand market share. Especially in the automotive industry, with the continuous expansion of the domestic automotive market and the development of new energy vehicle technology, the demand for PLC products will continue to increase, providing development opportunities for domestic PLC manufacturers.
V. Regulatory policies
5.1 The impact of policies on the application of PLC in the automotive industry
Policies and regulations have an important impact on the application of PLC in the automotive industry. On the one hand, the state's support policies for the intelligent manufacturing industry, such as "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Deep Integration of Informatization and Industrialization", "Made in China 2025", and "Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Integration of Manufacturing and the Internet", have promoted the development of the automotive industry towards intelligence and automation, providing a broad market space for the application of PLC in the automotive industry. These policies encourage the improvement of the network security protection capabilities of intelligent manufacturing industrial control systems, vigorously develop intelligent core devices, and accelerate the industrialization process of intelligent manufacturing complete sets of equipment, which has enabled PLC manufacturers to continuously increase R&D investment and improve product performance and safety to meet the automotive industry's demand for automated control.
On the other hand, industry regulatory policies, such as "Guidelines for Information Security Protection of Industrial Control Systems" and national standards GB/T 33008.1 - 2016 "Industrial Automation and Control System Network Security - Programmable Controller (PLC)", provide security support for the good development of industrial control systems and the deep integration of manufacturing and the Internet. These policies require PLC manufacturers to improve the security protection level of industrial information systems, improve the regulations on industrial information security management, and improve the industrial information security standard system. In the automotive industry, network security issues are becoming increasingly prominent. The introduction of policies and regulations has prompted PLC manufacturers to strengthen security protection measures to prevent hacker attacks and data leaks and ensure the safety of automobile production.
5.2 Industry development trends under policy guidance
Under policy guidance, the development direction of PLC manufacturers in the automotive industry mainly includes the following aspects:
First, strengthen technological innovation. With the country's emphasis on intelligent manufacturing, PLC manufacturers need to continuously improve the performance and functions of their products to meet the needs of automation upgrades in the automotive industry. For example, strengthen the research and development of PLC's intelligent and networked technologies, improve the processing speed, reliability and security of products, and realize remote monitoring and management. At the same time, combined with artificial intelligence and big data technology, PLC algorithms are optimized, the problem-solving ability of industrial algorithms is improved, and more efficient automation solutions are provided for automobile manufacturing.
Secondly, expand the application field. Policies encourage the application of PLC in new energy vehicles, intelligent networked vehicles and other fields. PLC manufacturers can increase R&D investment in these fields and develop PLC products suitable for new energy vehicles and intelligent networked vehicles to meet the automotive industry's needs for energy conservation, emission reduction and intelligent control. For example, in the battery management system and motor control system of new energy vehicles, PLC can realize the monitoring of battery status, charging control and precise control of motors, and improve the performance and safety of new energy vehicles.
Finally, improve product quality and reliability. Policies and regulations have put forward requirements for the security protection of industrial control systems. PLC manufacturers need to strengthen product quality control and reliability testing to improve product safety and stability. In the automotive industry, production safety is of vital importance. The quality and reliability of PLC products are directly related to the efficiency and quality of automobile production. Therefore, PLC manufacturers need to strictly abide by relevant standards and regulations, strengthen quality management, and improve the market competitiveness of their products.
VI. Other influencing factors
6.1 Impact of technological innovation on the market
Technological innovation has a significant driving effect on the PLC market in the automotive industry. With the continuous development and application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and 5G, PLC products are also constantly upgraded and improved. For example, the application of artificial intelligence enables PLC to achieve deep learning and big data analysis, providing more accurate decision support for production control. In the automobile manufacturing process, through real-time analysis of production data, the production process can be optimized, production efficiency and product quality can be improved. At the same time, the application of 5G technology enables PLC to have stronger network communication capabilities, realize remote monitoring and management, and improve production flexibility and reliability.
Technological innovation has also changed the competitive landscape of the automotive industry PLC market. On the one hand, manufacturers who can keep up with the pace of technological innovation will have an advantage in market competition. For example, internationally renowned brands such as Siemens and Mitsubishi have continuously increased their R&D investment and launched intelligent and networked PLC products, consolidating their leading position in the market. On the other hand, some emerging manufacturers may also rise in the market with technological innovation. For example, some small manufacturers focusing on specific fields or technologies have gained a place in the market by developing innovative PLC products to meet the specific needs of the automotive industry.
6.2 Impact of changes in customer demand
Impact of changes in automobile manufacturers and consumer demand on PLC manufacturingFor automobile manufacturers, as market competition intensifies, they have put forward higher requirements for the performance, reliability, and cost of PLC products. For example, automobile manufacturers need PLC products to have higher processing speed and accuracy to meet the needs of the automation upgrade of automobile production lines. At the same time, they also hope that PLC products can reduce costs and improve production efficiency. In order to meet the needs of automobile manufacturers, PLC manufacturers need to continuously optimize product design, improve product performance, and reduce production costs.
Changes in consumer demand have also had an impact on PLC manufacturers. As consumers' demands for automobile safety, comfort, intelligence, etc. continue to increase, automobile manufacturers need to continuously upgrade and improve production processes and improve product quality and performance. This requires PLC to have stronger control capabilities and higher accuracy to meet the requirements of automobile manufacturers for automated control. For example, the increasing demand for new energy vehicles has prompted automakers to increase their R&D investment in the field of new energy vehicles. As an important control device in the manufacturing process of new energy vehicles, PLC also needs to be continuously upgraded and improved to meet the requirements of new energy vehicle manufacturers for automated control and energy conservation and emission reduction. At the same time, consumers' demand for intelligent vehicles has also prompted automakers to increase their R&D investment in intelligent driving and vehicle networking, which has also put forward higher requirements for PLC's network communication capabilities and data processing capabilities.
VII. Risk Analysis
7.1 Technology Iteration Risk
The rapid iteration of technology has brought great challenges to PLC manufacturers. On the one hand, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, the speed of PLC replacement has accelerated, and the product life cycle has gradually shortened. This means that manufacturers need to continuously invest a lot of money and manpower in research and development to ensure that their products can keep up with the pace of technological development, otherwise they face the risk of their products becoming obsolete and being eliminated by the market. For example, according to relevant statistics, the update cycle of PLC technology has been shortened from several years in the past to one year or even shorter now. If manufacturers fail to launch new products in a timely manner, they may lose market share. On the other hand, technological iteration may also result in manufacturers' R&D investment not being able to get a timely return. Due to the rapid changes in technology, the R&D costs of new products may not be recovered before new R&D funds need to be invested, which puts great pressure on the financial situation of manufacturers.
7.2 Market Competition Risks
Fierce market competition has had a variety of impacts on PLC manufacturers. First, price wars are one of the common risks in market competition. In order to compete for market share, manufacturers may be forced to lower product prices, resulting in a squeezed profit margin. For example, in some highly competitive market areas, the price of PLC products may drop by 10% or more. This not only affects the profitability of manufacturers, but may also affect product quality and service levels. Second, market competition may also lead to insufficient investment by manufacturers in product innovation and service improvement. In order to reduce costs, manufacturers may reduce investment in R&D and after-sales services, which will affect product competitiveness and customer satisfaction. In addition, the threat of new entrants cannot be ignored. As the market continues to expand, new manufacturers may enter the market, and they may bring new technologies and business models, posing challenges to existing manufacturers.
7.3 Risk of policy changes
Policy adjustments pose potential risks to PLC manufacturers in the automotive industry. On the one hand, changes in environmental protection policies may have an impact on manufacturers. With the continuous improvement of environmental protection requirements, the automotive industry's energy efficiency requirements for PLCs are also increasing. Manufacturers need to continuously improve their products to meet environmental protection standards, which will increase R&D and production costs. For example, some countries and regions have introduced strict automobile emission standards, which require automobile manufacturers to adopt more energy-saving and efficient production processes. As an important control device in the automobile production process, PLC also needs to be upgraded and improved accordingly. On the other hand, changes in trade policies may also have an impact on manufacturers. For example, trade frictions may lead to increased tariffs, which will increase manufacturers' import costs and affect the price competitiveness of products. In addition, the degree of policy support for intelligent manufacturing may also change. If policy support is reduced, it will affect manufacturers' investment in technological innovation and product upgrades.