I/O Modules for Process Automation

The Process I/O Module Market Research Study delivers current market analysis plus a five year market and technology forecast. The study is available in multiple editions including worldwide and all regions.

Digital Transformation Strategy for DCSs Impacts Process I/O Market

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.

Process I/O Module Strategic Issues

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.

Take Advantage of the Benefits Offered through Virtualization

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.

Consider Characterizable or Configurable IO

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".

Go Beyond Technology in Supplier Evaluations

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:

• Local sales expertise and type of sales channel
• Local service capabilities and relationship with supplier services
• Expertise in the industry
• Financial strength and company stability
• Project team for implementation
• Project engineering experience
• Total cost of ownership

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.