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ARC’s research on the market for I/O modules in the process industries shows that the market is benefiting from a long-term modernization trend. I/O modules used in the process industries are an integral part of distributed control systems (DCSs), which are used invariably in every major process manufacturing application. The most recent DCS systems have evolved along with technological advancements, and more DCS users are thinking about updating and upgrading their systems to improve performance.
In addition to providing a five-year market forecast, the IO modules process market research report provides detailed quantitative current market data and addresses key strategic issues as follows.
Industrial control system (ICS) virtualization offers clear benefits for end users. These include lower TCO, longer ICS life, fewer disruptive changes, and improved ability to manage change and implement continuous improvement. The largest payoff comes from improved operations. End user organizations should study the virtualization strategies of their potential future ICS suppliers, paying special attention to supplier plans for migrating existing installations to a future virtualized environment.
End users should consider adopting next-generation IOs. Automation suppliers offer new IO that is either characterizable, configurable, or a combination of the two. Characterizable IO includes hardware modules that plug into a rack and can represent analog input, analog output, digital input, digital output, etc. The type of module plugged into the rack determines the type of signal. Modules can be plugged anywhere in the rack and are location independent. Configurable IO solutions take a similar approach in terms of point independence and flexibility, but the points are configured through software rather than hardware modules. Some vendor solutions offer a combination of characterizable and configurable IO points, depending on the type of signal.
The benefits of characterizable and configurable IOs go beyond simply reduced hardware, footprint, and wiring. Specifically, they allow end users to separate the hardware- and software-related aspects of the system. With fully adaptable and standard IO and control hardware, end users can theoretically design and test all the software aspects of the system before it is deployed into the physical system hardware. This allows the software to be deployed into the hardware infrastructure at the very late stages of the project. This is often referred to as "late binding".
Technology is one of the important considerations when selecting and evaluating a process IO supplier, but it is only one of many. When selecting a supplier, end users should employ a weighted multi-factor analysis. Some additional factors to consider include:
Each of these considerations has many subsidiary criteria to evaluate. A cross-functional evaluation team consisting of plant engineering, operations, IT, maintenance, and management should develop the detailed evaluation criteria and weighting factors. This maximizes transparency and communication during the selection process.
This market study may be purchased as an Excel Workbook and/or as a PDF File. The Workbook has some unique features such as the ability to view data in local currency. Regional studies include country and industry market data. Country studies include market trends and industry data. Studies and formats available are listed below:
MIRA Workbook | PDF File | |
Worldwide (includes regional data) | Yes | Yes |
North America (includes country data) | Yes | No |
Latin America (includes country data) | Yes | No |
Europe, Middle East, Africa (includes country data) | Yes | No |
Asia (includes country data) | Yes | No |
Annual Subscription | Yes | Yes |
Countries included in each region.
Table of contents for these studies is shown in the following paragraphs.
The research identifies all relevant suppliers serving this market.
List of countries included in each region: MIRA-Country
For more information or to purchase I/O Modules for Process Automation study, please contact us.