ABB LTD., SIEMENS AG, EMERSON ELECTRIC CO., HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC., AND YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION – NOTABLE MARKET PARTICIPANTS IN DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM INDUSTRY
DCS is a specially designed control system for a plant with many control loops and is used to improve reliability and performance. The three major components of the DCS include hardware, software, and services. DCS consists of various hardware components such as I/O interfaces, power supply, server, remote workstations, and relays, among others. Companies such as Rockwell and Siemens offer hardware components. The software component helps in configuring and programming different functions. The service component deals with the maintenance and service such as repair, spare parts, training & technical support to upgrades and evolution to keep the production running. For instance, ABB is one of the major companies that offer service for the complete lifecycle that helps in improving efficiency, optimizing the production.
The most notable market participants are ABB Ltd., Siemens AG, Emerson Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., and Yokogawa Electric Corporation that command a considerable share of the market owing to their product offerings to the market.
DCS brings automation in the manufacturing process by combining advanced control strategies and arranges all things in the form of a system. DCS is responsible for organizing complete control structure as a single automation system which has different subsystems integrated through a proper information flow and command structure. DCS has varied applications in industrial fields including power generation, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, food & beverages, chemicals, and many others. In 2018, ABB Ltd. announced an investment of US$ 150 Mn in Shanghai, China. The investment is aimed to build most advanced, automated and flexible robotics factory. This production line will focus on machine learning, digital and collaborative solutions, and the R & D team will focus on AI research.
Many well-known, as well as small local companies, are present in the market that are engaged in provisioning a diversified portfolio for their customers. The larger firms are adopting the strategy of enhancing product portfolio and by innovations. Few of the significant market initiative from the industry are mentioned below:
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Year |
News |
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2019 |
Emerson Completed Acquisition of General Electric’s Intelligent Platforms Business. As of February 1, 2019, GE Automation & Control division will operate under Emerson Electric Co. |
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2019 |
GE Renewable Energy announced signing a three-year agreement with the Enel Group’s renewable business line Enel Green Power (EGP) to provide predictive Operation and Maintenance (O&M) capabilities to the group’s hydro plants in Spain with a total capacity of up to 3.2 GW through a combination of digital tools and consultative services. |
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2018 |
Emerson acquired Aventics, a leader in smart pneumatics technologies powering machine and factory automation applications. The acquisition will solidify Emerson’s automation technology presence in Europe. |
