Wireless Networks Connecting with Industrial Users

The world shipments of industrial products that are wireless-enabled are set to grow from an estimated 1.2 million in 2009 to over 3 million in 2015, equating to a CAGR of 18%, according to an upcoming report by IMS Research, entitled The World Market for Wireless Communications in Factory and Process Automation - 2011.
“Wireless automation has been a star performer – many vendors grew their business during the recession. This is because many users consider installing wireless communication very valuable – many are seeing a return on investment within a year. Future growth will be driven by finding new use cases for wireless. “After end users have made the initial investment in wireless infrastructure, expanding wireless into more and more applications becomes even increasingly attractive” said automation analyst Toby Colquhoun.
Confusion over different wireless technologies remains an issue for end users in process automation; despite this, vendors are selling much wireless hardware today. However, the lack of standardization will become more important in future applications with a longer payback period. End users have to be certain that they can source replacement parts for many years, if investment in these applications is to be attractive.