The world PLC market, which had been hit hard by the world recession during 2009, has turned to a slight recovery in 2010. According to the latest edition of the report “The World Market for PLCs” from IMS Research, the world PLC market was estimated at $6.3 million in 2009; and is forecast to increase by $0.3 billion in 2010. However, revenues are not forecast to return to the 2008 level until 2012.
According to market analyst Alex Hong, “Some uncertain factors still remain. For example, with concerns over sovereign debt in several countries in Europe, and with government austerity measures to address them, we cannot yet rule out a double-dip recession.” In such a circumstance, the PLC market might turn down again.
However, business confidence is a more important factor. Many PLC manufacturers’ business recovered slightly in early 2010, as many plans and projects, which were stopped in 2009, were reactivated. In addition, PLC manufacturers believe their business will have a strong recovery after 2010 and hope that it will soon get back to the level of 2008.
