Controls today is sky-rocketing tremendously fast and it is getting so competitive in pricing and products features. The evolution of controls technology today is linked with the PC hardware revolution. With the muticore processor technology and large static memory, the PC capability allows the control systems to work more efficiently. Moreover, with the Microsoft OS domination in the world market, all the major controls companies in the world has little choice but to follow the Micosoft trend. The other influence in the controls technology today is networking power of the device interfaces and communication. Copper mediums are less used for high speed interfaces and fiber optic medium is getting more popular today. But the ultimate winner will definately the wireless technology.
In a nutshell, super competitive control systems will be emerging in the next decade and it will take the controls technology to a level which can be roughly quatified as 1000 folds compapared to the primitive control systems in late 70s and early 80s. And easily round around the most powerful system in the last millennium the 100 times faster.
From the overview of the controls direction above, we know 1 thing. The evolution is driven by multicore processors, universal OS (that every dummy is literate), high speed wireless communication and super static memory chips. This will again create another havoc which I will explain below.
In the 70s, 80s and 90s, all the control technology is proprietary and every major controls company have their in-house developed hardware technology and software applications. It is easy to compare who is better and cheaper. The first ones who made it to the market will be the leader because each of the controls systems of that era is unique. They use diffent OSes, processors, storage memory, network protocols and network mediums. The drawback of the old school controls is that once the end-user invested in the technology, it gives them almost zero reasons to migrate to another control system. This has indirectly made the price of the legacy control systems soar sky high. Once you hooked you will be stucked for good. Other disadvantages are of the old era is difficuty of getting parts and skilled workforce. The parts can be only purchased from the vendor who supplied the system and the skills to mantain and upgrade the system stays with them. That made it very profitable for the early birds and competition those days, without the existance of internets is not even a fraction close to the battle field today.
Today, all the hardware, software, data connectivity medium and protocol is readily avaible and accessible to the world. The ironic part of the gigantic leap is that just any one can do it! What company A can do, can be done by company B, C, D and so on. The battle has begun. Super open system product will emerge and price wars is inevitable.
The argument today is... who will be the winner. I personally think that the major controls cake will be splitted up into tiny pieces and more small controls company will emerge. There won't be a definate dominant player in the market. The good news to the industry is that the end-users get more powerful systems, more choices of vendors, inter-changable hardware and workforce because of the open standards that leads the evolution.
Every product has the same capacity and can be equally competitive in pricing. What do you think? How do you choose a controls product? What determines a sale? Everyone can be a winner... or a loser!
All the controls companies claim that they are the best but the fact is the products from the big boys are quite similar/competitive because of the OPEN SYSTEM. Undeniably, those with bigger market share and installed references will still stand a better chance. I guess, it is now the era of super sales and site support men to make the difference!
Try Your Luck
