According to a study by IMS Research, differences in performance and appearance between PLC hardware from different suppliers are becoming less. Accordingly, major PLC suppliers are focusing more on being a ‘solution provider’, to expand both their PLC and other automation business. Although this trend started several years ago, the growing importance of sharing information and software developments have made integrated automation solutions more important today. Customers increasingly need to make good business decisions based on information obtained from the plant floor. The PLC plays an important role in integrated automation solutions. The integration of a PLC into the whole system solution makes it not just a single controller, but a true extension of the whole enterprise computer system. In addition, an integrated automation solution with PLCs can also perform tasks in process control, motion control, drive control, PID control, maintenance, etc.
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