This in-depth market data research is split into two key modules: Market Growth Outlook and Competitive Analysis. Each of these modules is further configured into several sub-modules to meet the needs of executives as well as marketing, sales, and product development managers. All of these modules and sub-modules may be purchased as a bundle or separately. A brief description of these modules, sub-modules, and their use cases is included below.
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and PLC-based PAC Market Research delivers current market analysis plus a five year market and technology forecast. It is available in multiple editions including worldwide, all regions, and most major countries.
PLC and PLC-based PAC Market Growth Fueled by Industrial IoT
ARC Advisory Group’s research makes it clear that although the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) market declined markedly in all regions in 2024 due to macroeconomic conditions and uncertainties, the trend toward Industrial IoT-capable automation systems is changing the role of PLCs in automation architectures. Virtualization and edge computing are exerting influence on the shape of future automation architectures. Industrial 5G will also drive this evolution with ubiquitous connectivity. Engineering tools for PLCs have evolved significantly in the last decade to become “frameworks” that integrate the various tools needed to program or configure all parts of an automation system (logic, motion, visualization, safety, security, and robotics). A well-integrated engineering tool uses a single database as a “single point of truth” for all information and makes this data available to each tool. Integrated environments improve engineering efficiency and help cut costs.
PLC and PLC-based PAC Strategic Issues
In addition to providing a five-year market forecast, the PLC and PLC-based PACs market research provides detailed quantitative current market data and addresses key strategic issues as follows.
The IT/OT Convergence Is in Full Swing, Embrace It!
The influence of commercial information technologies (IT) on automation systems grows every year. Automation architectures are becoming more “IT-like” as virtualization is extended to the shop floor. Automation systems in the future will be orchestrated in the same way as IT systems, meaning that assets will be configured, deployed, and managed automatically. This will occur dynamically rather than statically to adapt to everchanging conditions. For example, changing a machine’s product configuration involves adding and deleting hardware and/or software assets, and then ensuring that the load on the IT system remains balanced to guarantee machine performance.
Prepare to Virtualize both Non-Time-Critical and Time-Critical Software
End users are modernizing their plant architectures to embrace the trend toward virtualization, and many in the near future will demand that non-time-critical OEM software be delivered ready to deploy in a virtualized or containerized environment. OEMs should prepare the software they deliver with machines to be deployed in this manner. In addition, machine builders should begin working with virtual PLCs to understand where and how they are implemented, integrated, delivered to, and deployed at customer sites. This will prepare them for the time when automation solutions are delivered completely in software.
Use Controllers with Integrated Safety
There are hardly any PLC applications without the need for safety functions. In the past, safety PLCs were deployed to handle safety tasks, but many of today’s PLCs incorporate safety functionalities in a single controller. At the same time, pure safety PLCs are now marketed as standard PLCs with built-in safety. In either case, machine builders can reduce architecture complexity and lower costs by using a PLC with integrated safety.
Market Data Research Available Datasets
Market Growth Outlook
ARC’s market growth outlook service delivers an in-depth market opportunity analysis including five-year market and technology forecasts and 3-year history trend lines where available. Besides providing an in-depth analysis of the market opportunity provided by each technology, this service allows technology suppliers to analyze their own customized markets consisting of multiple technologies. For example, customers can view different market scenarios by adding or removing technology markets from the analysis, providing them a Total Available Market (TAM) view of their own served market. A list of the available market growth outlook services can be seen in the list below.
This service is designed to help accelerate your organization's ability to understand an up-to-date view of the market opportunity provided by your current product portfolio and analyze how your company’s market opportunity would change if you were to acquire or divest a particular product line. The service will also help you identify and capitalize on emerging markets, whether these markets are based on an emerging technology, region, vertical industry, or application. Built upon a proprietary market model and ARC’s field proven primary research, this service helps product and marketing managers optimize their business plans by identifying the opportunities provided by emerging trends. ARC’s reputation as the preeminent independent provider of market growth opportunity analyses for nearly four decades also provides greater weight to your business plans. ARC’s market growth outlook services are available in a variety of formats depending on whether you view your market opportunities via different technologies, industries, or world regions.
In addition, ARC has a strong history of providing customized market opportunity reports and services to meet your specific needs. For example, you may sell your products only to specific industries and/or in only one or two regions. You tell us your served markets and ARC can quickly configure a report or service designed to best serve your served market.
ARC provides several versions of these reports and services depending on your role in the organization. Executive Views are high level market opportunities designed to help executives quickly identify key trends and market opportunities around the world. In-depth market opportunity analyses provide marketing and product managers more detailed technology specific market information to plan marketing and product development strategies. The following table shows more specific information included in each version.
| Market Growth Outlook Analysis | Use Cases | Target Role |
| Worldwide Market Growth Outlook by Industry & Region with 3-year history where available | In-depth technology-specific strategic growth planning across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industries | Product & Marketing Managers |
| Worldwide Industry Growth Outlook by Region with 3-year history where available | Strategic technology growth planning for markets defined by a single or multiple vertical industries | Industry Managers |
| Regional/Country Market Growth Outlook by Technology & Industry with 3-year history where available (includes country data) | Strategic technology growth planning for markets defined by a single or multiple world regions | Regional & Country Sales Managers |
| Market Growth Outlook Executive View | Strategic Total Available Market (TAM) growth planning dashboard covering multiple vertical industries, technologies, and world regions | Executives |
Market Competitive Analysis
ARC’s Competitive Analysis services deliver in depth competitive analyses across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industries. Besides providing an in-depth analysis of the market opportunity provided by each technology, this service allows technology suppliers to analyze their own customized markets consisting of multiple technologies. For example, customers can view different market scenarios by adding or removing technology markets from the analysis, providing them a Total Available Market (TAM) view of their own served market. A list of the available market growth outlook services can be seen in the list below.
This service is designed to help product and marketing managers identify their company’s market positioning across multiple views within their Serviceable Available Market (SAM). Built upon a proprietary market model and ARC’s field proven primary research, this service helps product and marketing managers optimize their business plans by identifying how their company’s market position would change if the company were to acquire or divest a particular product line or technology. ARC’s reputation as the preeminent independent provider of competitive market benchmarking for nearly four decades lends greater weight to your business plans. ARC’s market competitive services are available in a variety of formats depending on whether you view your market opportunities via different technologies, industries, or world regions.
In addition, ARC has a strong history of providing customized market opportunity reports and services to meet the specific needs of our clients. For example, you may sell your products only to specific industries and/or in only one or two regions. You tell us your served markets and ARC can quickly configure a report or service designed to best serve your served market.
ARC provides several versions of these reports and services depending on your role in the organization. Executive Views are high level market competitive analyses designed to help executives quickly assess their SAM by world region, technology, or vertical industry. In-depth competitive market analyses provide marketing and product managers more detailed technology specific benchmarking information to plan marketing and product development strategies. The following table shows more specific information included in each version.
| Competitive Analysis | Use Cases | Target Role |
| Worldwide Competitive Analysis by Technology | In-depth competitive market analysis that quantifies how your company’s market position has changed over time across multiple technologies, applications, regions, and industries | Product & Marketing Managers |
| Worldwide Competitive Analysis by Industry | Strategic technology-based competitive analyses for markets defined by a single or multiple vertical industries | Industry Managers |
| Regional/Country Competitive Analysis by Industry | Strategic technology-based competitive analyses for markets defined by a single or multiple world regions | Regional Sales Managers |
| Competitive Analysis Executive View | Strategic Serviceable Available Market (SAM) analysis dashboard covering multiple vertical industries, technologies, and world regions | Executives |
Worldwide Market Research Focus Areas
Worldwide Market Research Focus Areas
Strategic Analysis
- Executive Overview
- Market Trends
- Buyer Strategies
- Supplier Strategies
- Growth Contributors and Inhibitors
Competitive Analysis
- Market Shares for Leading Suppliers
- Market Shares by Region
- North America
- Europe, Middle East, Africa
- Asia
- Latin America
- Market Shares by Revenue Category
- Hardware
- Software
- Services
- Market Shares by Hardware Type
- Operator Interface
- Nano Controller
- Micro Controller
- Small Controller
- Large Controller
- Other Controller
- Unbundled I/O
- Market Shares by Software Type
- Programming
- Templates and Libraries
- Market Shares by Service Type
- Automation Training
- Spare Part Contracts
- Maintenance Contracts
- Software Updates
- Market Shares by Industry
- Aerospace & Defense
- Automotive
- Buildings
- Cement & Glass
- Chemical
- Electric Power Generation
- Electric Power T&D
- Electronics & Electrical
- Fabricated Metals
- Food & Beverage
- Machinery
- Metals
- Mining
- Oil & Gas
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech
- Pulp & Paper
- Refining
- Semiconductors
- Water & Wastewater
- Market Shares by Machinery Segment
- Market Shares by PAC and Standard PLCs
- Market Shares by Sales Channel
- Market Shares by Customer Type
Market Forecasts & Histories
- Total PLC and PLC-based PAC Business Including Hardware, Software, and Services
- Shipments by Region
- North America
- Europe, Middle East, Africa
- Asia
- Latin America
- Shipments by Revenue Category
- Hardware
- Software
- Services
- Shipments by Hardware Type
- Operator Interface
- Nano Controller
- Micro Controller
- Small Controller
- Large Controller
- Other Controller
- Unbundled I/O
- Shipments by Software Type
- Programming
- Templates and Libraries
- Shipments by Service Type
- Automation Training
- Spare Part Contracts
- Maintenance Contracts
- Software Updates
- Shipments by Industry
- Aerospace & Defense
- Automotive
- Building Automation
- Cement & Glass
- Chemical
- Electronics & Electrical
- Electric Power Generation
- Electric Power T&D
- Fabricated Metals
- Food & Beverage
- Machinery
- Metals
- Mining
- Oil & Gas
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech
- Pulp & Paper
- Refining
- Semiconductor
- Water & Wastewater
- Shipments by Machinery Segment
- Shipments by PAC and Standard PLCs
- Shipments by Sales Channel
- Shipments by Customer Type
Industry Participants
The research identifies all relevant suppliers serving this market.
Regional Market Research Focus Areas
Strategic Analysis
Competitive Analysis
- Leading Suppliers in Region
- Industry Shares in Region
- Country Shares in Region
- Leading Suppliers by Industry
Market History & Forecast Analysis
- Market History & Forecast by Country
- Market History & Forecast by Industry
Industry Participants
List of countries & currencies included in each region: MIRA-Country
For More Information
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