The market for operator panels in industrial applications will continue to grow strongly according a new ARC Advisory Group study. This growth is driven by demand for automation in general and by increasing demand for more visualization in many applications. In 2012 and 2013 the market will see flat growth as the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and fizzling growth in China create an unfavorable investment climate.
The operator panel market has evolved from pushbuttons to CRTs to graphical operator panels, and is once again changing. Consumer electronics are driving the use of touch screens and widescreen displays and are the fastest growing segment in terms of form factor. Also, automation panels, panels that incorporate logic control as well as pure visualization, are a growing market segment.
“Automation panels have seen increasing acceptance in the market and many companies have entered this segment over the past three years. The above-average growth is driven by advantages for end users and also by the use of PC-based technology in these devices,“ according to Florian Güldner the principal author of ARC’s “Operator Panel Worldwide Outlook”.
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Demand for high-end operator panels with large screens, preferably in the wide-screen format, is growing. There are various reasons behind this development. One is the continuing price erosion for the components, especially the display unit and the CPU, where Atom, Bobcat, and ARM chips add computing power at a lower price, and with less power consumption. Next to the price erosion, ARC observes that in some cases the price stayed constant for a certain product, but features and capability increased.
Another reason is that machine builders are taking advantage of advanced functionality available in modern operator panels to increase the operability of the machine. Many use a large operator panel branded with their own faceplate and colors to lend an aura of quality and sophistication.
The last reason Touch Panel PC is end user driven. As operators evolve from simple machine controllers to take on-line manager responsibilities, operator panels are becoming gateways that not only display machine-related data, but also link to enterprise or MES/CPM systems. In addition, sophisticated panels assist with maintenance, repair, and even training, which helps improve line KPIs such as availability.
PCs – Blessing or Curse?
PC technology has been used for operator panels for many years, even if users don’t have access to an operating system. Benefits include the easy adoption of new features and functions such as wide screens, touch displays, and Ethernet connectivity.
However, panel PCs are becoming price competitive and have nearly reached the price level of operator panels. The question for users is: Why bother with the limitations of an operator panel, when a full-blown panel PC is available for the same price?
Especially in price sensitive markets, where initial purchase price is often the only criterion, panel PCs with soft logic are a potential threat to replace the conventional PLC plus panel. However, this traditional architecture still has certain benefits such as ruggedness. PLCs have developed into programmable automation controllers (PAC) and panels are now more than simple displays for machine data.
China – Hard Landing or Soft Decline?
The Chinese market has been growing strongly in recent years and has been a motor for global growth, pushing exports worldwide as the demand for machinery drove all verticals. To keep the market from overheating, the Chinese government took steps to reduce the pressure and release some of the hot air out of the housing bubble. The result was a collapse of investments in many industries, especially in those that were growing fast prior 2011 and where massive over-capacities were built up. Looking at the structural indicators for China, ARC is convinced that there is still no other way to go but up and that investment will resume in 2013 and beyond.
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