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PLC Brands Comparison. Which PLC brand is the best?

PLC Brands

PLC Brands Comparison

If you are reading this post, you probably know what PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) is. If you don’t, please check out the post What is PLC?

There is enormous competition between the leading PLC manufacturers around the world. In this article, we tried to gather all the data necessary to understand the PLC industry players.

Manufacturer PLC Series Software Country Score

ControlLogix

CompactLogix

MicroLogix

SLC500

PLC5

Micro800

Studio5000

 

RSLogix500

 

RSLogix5

CCW

USA

97

S7-1200/1500

S7-400/300

S5

LOGO

TIA Portal

Step7

Step5

LOGO! Soft Comfort

Germany

94

M340/M580

Quantum

Momentum

Series 800

Ecostruxure Control Expert (Unity Pro)

Concept

Modsoft

France

92

Rx3i /Rx7i

Series 90-70 / 90-30

VersaMax

Proficy Machine Edition

VersaPro

USA

86

CP Compact

CJ Modular

CS Rack

CX-One

CX programmer

Japan

79

AC010

AC500

Automation Builder

Switzerland

77

X20

X90

Automation Studio 4

Switzerland

81

MELSEC iQ-F Compact

MELSEC iQ-R

MELSEC-F Compact

MELSEC-L Standard

MELSEC-Q

MELSOFT

Gx Works3

Japan

80

Productivity Series

Do more Series

DirectLogic Series

CLICK Series

Productivity Open (Arduino compatible)

Productivity Suite

Do-more Designer

DirectSOFT

CLICK

C++

Japan

C60 Ultra-compact Industrial PC

X61-69 Control cabinet Industrial PC

C70 Ultra-compact Industrial PC

TwinCAT 3

Germany

ILC-CML

ILC-XM

ILC-VPB

ctrlX AUTOMATION

ctrlX CORE plus

Germany

Type 1 Light

V200 Micro

V100

V1000/2000/3000 (Legacy)

nV-Tool

Japan

AXC-F Axioline F

RFC Remote Field

AXC Axiocontrol

ILC Inline PLC

PLCnext Engineer

PC Worx

Germany

FA-M3V

Stardom FCN-500

WideField3

Logic Designer

Japan

PFC200 Advanced

PFC200

PFC100

WAGO-I/O-PRO V2.3 ( CODESYS)

e!COCKPIT (CODESYS)

Germany

FP7

FP2SH

FPΣ

FP-XH

FP0R

FP0H

Control FPWIN Pro

Japan

DVP

AS Compact

AH

ISP Soft

Taiwan

XN300

XC152

XC300

EasyE4 Nano

easySoft 7

XSoft CODESYS

USA

Micrex-SX Series PLC System

SX-Programmer

Japan

Micro-EH Compact

EH-150 Modular

EHV Modular

H-Series High-Performance PLC

Control Editor

PRO-H

Japan

ControlEdge

MasterLogic ML200

MasterLogic ML50

ControlEdge builder

SoftMaster

USA

FC6A MicroSmart Plus

FC6A MicroSmart

FT1A SmartAXIS

WindLDR

Japan

CR Ecomat

CR Classic

CR Smart

CR Basic

CODESYS

Germany

KV-8000

KV-5000/3000/7000

KV-Nano

KV Studio

KV Builder

Japan

UniStream

Vision

Samba

Jazz

M90

UniLogic

VisiLogic

 

U90 Ladder

Israel

groov EPIC

PAC Control

CODESYS

Red Node

USA

XGT (XGK, XGI, XGR)

XGB

Master-K

GM

XG5000

 

KGLWIN

GMWIN

Korea

MAXI

MEGA

MINI

All Arduino Based

Arduino IDE

PlatformIO

OpenPLC

Visual Studio

LabVIEW

Matlab

Scilab

And more

Austria

LX5V

LX5S

LX3V

Wecon PLC Editor

China

K6

MK

KW

KS

K5,K2

Kinco Builder

China

FBs

B1 / B1z / HB1 Series

WinProladder

Taiwan

Mini PLC PL-100

Smart Relay Genie-Nx

PL-Soft Pro

India

Rockwell Automation

RockwellAutomationLogo
AllenBradleyLogo

Rockwell Automation is a global company based in America. The company focuses on various solutions for industrial automation, and in this field, they are the biggest in the world and undoubtedly the biggest in the USA.

Founded in 1903 as the Compression Rheostat Company, Allen-Bradley is now a significant brand name for the Rockwell Automation company.

Rockwell Automation manufactures PLCs, human-machine interfaces, sensors, and other equipment designed to automate factory systems.

In addition to equipment, industrial control services offered by the company include global short-circuit current ratings, line-to-load power solutions, and procurement specifications. 

Company headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the famous Allen-Bradley Clock Tower serving as an important city landmark; it is officially considered to be the largest four-sided clock in the entire Western hemisphere.

The current market cap for the company is estimated to be 29.32 billion US dollars.

The industrial control systems market is estimated to be valued at USD 168.53 billion by 2026, leaving plenty of room for competition for Rockwell Automation.

Apart from PLCs, the company also manufactures:

  • Instrumentation
  • VFDs
  • Motors
  • Actuators
  • Human Machine Interface (HMI)
  • Switches, relays and timers, etc
  • Industrial Networking
  • Safety Components
  • Motor Control Centers
  • Software

PLC Series with supported programming software :

PLC Series Software App Range Note

ControlLogix

Studio5000

Large

Rockwell's flag ship PLC, Modular and scalable

CompactLogix

Studio5000

Small to Medium

 High Quality and affordable

Micrologix1100/1400

RSLogix500

Small

Satisfies almost all small apps and also very affordable

Micro800

CCW - connected components workbench

Small

Like ML1100/1400 it satisfies almost all small apps and also very affordable, free designer software

SLC500

RSLogix500

Medium

Legacy - Been replaced by CompactLogix/ControlLogix

PLC5

RSLogix5

Large

Legacy - Been replaced by CompactLogix/ControlLogix

ControlLogix 1756
CompactLogix1769 5069
MicroLogix
Micro800
PLC5 SLC
Rockwell Automation brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 5 – Fully focused
  • Company’s Innovation – 5 – New products and technologies every time
  • Quantity of installations – 5 – Wide network of distributors and integrators
  • Convenient and understandable website – 5 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 5 – Huge knowledgeable online
  • Brand strength – 5 – Especially in the USA

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 5 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Depends on the hardware chosen but can be expensive
  • Variety of complementary products – 5 – In-house and with partners like Prosoft
  • Very small applications – 5 – With Micro800/ Micro1400
  • Small applications – 5 – With Micro800/ Micro1400
  • Medium applications – 5 – With CompactLogix / ControlLogix
  • Large applications – 5 – With ControlLogix
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 5 – High connectivity to the Factory-talk package include FTView SCADA. Support OPC DA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 5 – With build-in Ethernet-IP and ModbusTcp and the help of partners like Prosoft, it’s possible to connect to every network or protocol

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 5 – Stodio5000 is a high quality and intuitive software
  • Software price – 3 – The CCW is free but Studio500 is expensive
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 97
9.7/10

Siemens

SiemensLogo

Siemens is a group of German companies that stands out as Europe’s most important industrial conglomerate.

Siemens is headquartered in three German cities: Erlangen, Munich, and Berlin. They are currently present all over the world through 190 branches.

Siemens works mainly in four areas: industry, health, infrastructure, and the energy sector.

This German company has more than 400,000 employees worldwide and has revenues of more than 120 billion dollars.

Siemens offers multiple services: financial, construction, and general business services. The German company provides various products related to lighting, transportation, medical equipment, nuclear reactors, water technologies, and many more.

The industrial control field has major importance compared to the company’s total activity. Siemens manages various monitoring devices and software systems to control operations and automate them in areas where they can be applied.

The German company continues to innovate the industry, setting trends through the latest technology to improve the quality of life.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

S7-1500

TIA Portal

Medium to Large

Modular and scalable

S7-1200

TIA Portal

Small to Medium

Satisfies almost all small apps and also very affordable

S7-400/300

Step7

Medium to Large

Legacy - Been replaced by S7-1500

S5

Step5

Medium to Large

Legacy - Been replaced by S7-1500

LOGO

LOGO! Soft Comfort

Small

For very small applications, affordable.

Siemens PLC
Siemens brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 3 – Industrial automation and control is only one field of this huge corporation
  • Company’s Innovation – 5 – New products and technologies every time
  • Quantity of installations – 5 – Wide network of distributors and integrators
  • Convenient and understandable website – 5 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 5 – Huge knowledgeable online
  • Brand strength – 5 – Especially in the Europe

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 5 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Depends on the hardware chosen but can be expensive
  • Variety of complementary products – 5 – In-house and with partners
  • Very small applications – 5 – With S7-1200
  • Small applications – 5 – With S7-1200
  • Medium applications – 5 – With S7-1200/1500
  • Large applications – 5 – With S7-1500
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 5 – High connectivity to the Wincc SCADA. Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 5 – With build-in Profinet and ModbusTcp

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 4 – TIA Portal is a high quality software but can be less intuitive
  • Software price – 3 – expensive
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 94
9.4/10

Schneider Electric

Schneider Logo

Schneider Electric started in french in 1891, today Schneider Electric is a global company with more than 166K employees in 115+ locations worldwide.

In 2021 their revenue was ~30B$ from mainly two markets:

  • Automation and control
  • Energy management

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

Modicon M580

Ecostruxure Control Expert

Medium to Large

Modular and scalable

Modicon M340

Ecostruxure Control Expert

Small to Medium

Satisfies almost all small apps

Modicon Quantum

Unity

Medium to Large

Mature - Been replaced by M580

Modicon Momentum

Unity / Concept

Small

Legacy - Been replaced by M340

Modicon Seris 800

Modsoft

Medium to Large

Legacy - Been replaced by M580 or Quantum

Schneider Electric PLCs
Schneider Electric brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 5 – Almost fully focus
  • Company’s Innovation – 5 – New products and technologies every time
  • Quantity of installations – 5 – Wide network of distributors and integrators
  • Convenient and understandable website – 5 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 5 – Huge knowledgeable online
  • Brand strength – 4 – Especially in the Europe

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 5 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Depends on the hardware chosen but can be expensive
  • Variety of complementary products – 5 – In-house and with partners
  • Very small applications – 5 – With M340
  • Small applications – 5 – With M340
  • Medium applications – 5 – With M340/580
  • Large applications – 4 – With M580
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 4 – Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 4 – With build-in ModbusTcp

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 4 – Ecostruxure Control Expert (or Unity Pro) is a high-quality software and intuitive
  • Software price – 3 – expensive
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 92
9.2/10

Emerson (General Electric)

Emerson GE Logo

General Electric Intelligent Platforms was acquired by Emerson in 2019 and was subsequently renamed Emerson Machine Automation Solutions.

Emerson Electric is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri. It is currently valued at 53.22 billion USD, with its new automation segment accounting for much of that market cap.

Emerson Machine Automation Solutions offers a wide range of industrial control field products and services, including programmable automation controllers, software for automation and control, industrial Ethernet switches, industrial PCs, and industrial web panels.

The company specializes in supporting power plant operations, including traditional oil and gas, as well as more renewable energy sources like solar panel operations.

With the industrial automation market looking to be valued at as much as 168.53 billion USD by 2026, Emerson hopes to significantly grow its newly acquired property within the field.

Emerson Machine Automation Solutions is the latest offering in industrial control from Emerson, based on an original product by General Electric.

The company’s business range from :

  • Aviation
  • Financial solutions
  • Healthcare
  • Power
  • Renewable energy
  • Digital – Industrial Automation.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

Rx7i

Proficy Machine Edition

Medium to Large

Modular and scalable

Rx3i

Proficy Machine Edition

Small to Medium

Modular and scalable

VersaMax Micro

Proficy Machine Edition, VersaPro

Small to Medium

For small applications

Series 90-70

Logicmaster 90-70, VersaPro

Medium to Large

Legacy - Been replaced by Rx3i/Rx7i

Series 90-30

VersaPro

Medium

Legacy - Been replaced by Rx3i/Rx7i

General Electric PLCs
General Electric brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 3 – Industrial automation and control is only one field of this huge corporation
  • Company’s Innovation – 4 – New products from time to time
  • Quantity of installations – 4 – Wide network of distributors and integrators
  • Convenient and understandable website – 4 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 5 – online knowledgeable
  • Brand strength – 4 – Especially in the USA

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 5 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Depends on the hardware chosen but can be expensive
  • Variety of complementary products – 4 – In-house and with partners
  • Very small applications – 5 – With VersaMax Micro
  • Small applications – 5 – With VersaMax Micro
  • Medium applications – 5 – With Rx3i
  • Large applications – 4 – With Rx7i
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 4 – High connectivity to the Cimplicity SCADA. Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 4 – With build-in ModbusTcp

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 4

    Proficy Machine Edition is a quality software but less intuitive

  • Software price – 3 – expensive
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 86
8.6/10

Omron

Omron Logo

Omron Headquarters is in Japan, with 30K employees in 120 locations worldwide.

The company mainly focuses on industrial automation and the healthcare and social systems businesses.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

CP Compact (CPM1A, CPM2A, CP1E, CP1L, CP1H)

CX programmer

Small

for very small applications

CJ Modular (CJ2M, CJ2H, CJ1M, CJ1G/CJ1H)

CX programmer

Small to Medium

Modular and scalable

CS Rack (CS1H/CS1G, CS1D)

CX programmer

Medium

Omron PLCs
Omron brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 5 – Almost Fully
  • Company’s Innovation – 2 – No new products
  • Quantity of installations – 3
  • Convenient and understandable website – 4 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 3 – online knowledgeable
  • Brand strength – 3

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 4 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Depends on the hardware chosen
  • Variety of complementary products – 3
  • Very small applications – 5 – With CP Micro
  • Small applications – 5 – With CP Micro
  • Medium applications – 5 – With CP Micro and CJ Modular
  • Large applications – 3 – With CS Rack
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 4 – Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 4 – With build-in EthernetIP

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 3

    CX Programmer is a good software but less quality from the others top brands

  • Software price – 4 – expensive
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 79
7.9/10

ABB Automation

ABB Logo

Although ABB Automation is an excellent brand in the automation world, they are less invested in PLCs and develop only a few PLC models.

They acquire R&B and their line of PLCs (next section).

ABB also manufactures:

  • Control Room Solutions
  • Drives
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
  • Industrial Software
  • Low Voltage Products and Systems
  • Measurement and Analytics
  • Medium Voltage Products
  • Metallurgy Products
  • Motors and Generators
  • PLC Automation
  • Power Converters and Inverters

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

AC500

Automation Builder

Small to Medium

Modular and scalable

ABB PLCs
ABB Automation brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5 – Distributed around the world
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 5 – Almost Fully
  • Company’s Innovation – 2 – No new products in the PLC category
  • Quantity of installations – 3
  • Convenient and understandable website – 4 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 3 – online knowledgeable
  • Brand strength – 4

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 4 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Relatively cheap
  • Variety of complementary products – 3
  • Very small applications – 5
  • Small applications – 5
  • Medium applications – 4
  • Large applications – 2
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 3 – Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 3 – With build-in EthernetIP

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 3

    Automation Builder is a good software but less quality from the others top brands

  • Software price – 5 – free
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported

Total PLC Brand Score: 77
7.7/10

B&R Automation (ABB)

BandR Logo

B&R Automation was founded in 1979 as an Austrian company. The company headquarters is located in Eggelsberg and has a presence in over 70 countries. They focus mainly on automation and control.

In 2017, B&R Automation was bought out by the huge ABB Group, which has headquarters in Sweden and Switzerland.  

ABB is also active in the robotics industry, which it has started to apply to its newly acquired automation property B&R Automation.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

X20 Compact-S

Automation Studio 4

Small

Modular and scalable

X20 Embedded

Automation Studio 4

Small to Medium

Modular and scalable

X20 PLC

Automation Studio 4

Medium

Modular and scalable

X90 Mobile

Automation Studio 4

Small to Medium

For mobile applications

BR PLCs
B&R Automation brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 4 – 70 countries
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 5 – Almost Fully
  • Company’s Innovation – 4
  • Quantity of installations – 3
  • Convenient and understandable website – 4 – Well organized
  • Online technical material and support – 3 – online knowledgeable
  • Brand strength – 3

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 4 – High Quality
  • Hardware Robustness – 5 – Suitable for all industries and environments
  • Hardware prices – 4 – Relatively cheap
  • Variety of complementary products – 3
  • Very small applications – 5
  • Small applications – 5
  • Medium applications – 5
  • Large applications – 3
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 4 – Support OPC DA/UA for third-party systems
  • Supported communication protocols – 4 – With build-in EthernetIP

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 4 – Automation Studio is a good software
  • Software price – 4
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5 – All Supported and C++

Total PLC Brand Score: 81
8.1/10

Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Logo

Mitsubishi Electric is a Japanese based corporation with locations across the globe. They have 145,696 employees and a market cap of $21.93 billion.

The company was founded in 1921, with their first product being an electric fan that became an instant success with customers. Since then, Mitsubishi Electric has continued to innovate in the fields of electronics, automation, and motor vehicles.

The company continues to play an important role in industrial control with their manufacturing of automation PLCs and panels that are used worldwide for industrial manufacturing.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

PLC Series Software App Range Note

MELSEC iQ-R

MELSOFT GXWorks3

Medium to Large

MELSEC iQ-F

MELSOFT GXWorks3

Small

MELSEC-Q

MELSOFT GXWorks3

Medium to Large

MELSEC-L

MELSOFT GXWorks3

Small to Medium

MELSEC-F

MELSOFT GXWorks3

Small

Mitsubishi PLCs
Mitsubishi Electric brand score

About the PLC manufacturer:

  • Global company – 5
  • Company’s focus in the field of industrial control – 3
  • Company’s Innovation – 4
  • Quantity of installations – 3
  • Convenient and understandable website – 4
  • Online technical material and support – 4
  • Brand strength – 4

Hardware:

  • Hardware quality – 4
  • Hardware Robustness – 5
  • Hardware prices – 4
  • Variety of complementary products – 3
  • Very small applications – 5
  • Small applications – 5
  • Medium applications – 5
  • Large applications – 3
  • Connectivity and compatibility with third-party systems, Scada, MES – 3
  • Supported communication protocols – 3

Software:

  • High-level and intuitive software – 4
  • Software price – 4
  • Support for all controllers programming languages – 5

Total PLC Brand Score: 80
8/10

Automation Direct / Koyo

Automation Direct Koyo Logo

Automation Direct, Koyo is a corporation that provides industrial automation electronics.

The company is situated in Japan these days too. They do their best to branch out all around the world.

The company has a new model which allow them to penetrate the USA market.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • Productivity Series PLCs (Stackable Micro, Micro Modular, and Modular)
  • Do more Series PLCs (Micro Modular & Stackable)
  • DirectLogic Series PLCs (Micro to Small, Brick & Modular)
  • CLICK Series PLCs (Stackable Micro Brick)
  • Productivity Open PLC (Audrino compatible)
PLC Series Software App Range Note

Productivity Series

Productivity Suite

Medium to Large

Do more Series

Do-more Designer

Small

DirectLogic Series

DirectSOFT

Medium to Large

CLICK Series

CLICK

Small to Medium

Productivity Open

C++

Small

Arduino compatible

Beckhoff

Beckhoff Logo

Beckhoff Automation is a German industrial control and automation manufacturing company with around 800 employees.

In the 2021 fiscal year, the company made record sales of over 1. 18 billion Euros.

The corporation was founded by Hans Beckhoff in 1980 and is headquartered in Verl, Germany.

Although not as old as some of its competitors, Beckhoff Automation has proven to be a major player in the world of automation and industrial controls.

In 1986 they developed the first PC-based machine control system, which outperformed and replaced other conventional systems from manufacturers like Siemens.

The company continues to grow and provide top-of-the-line automation products worldwide for sectors in the automotive industry, sheet metal processing, building automation, processing and packaging, the tire industry, and wind turbines.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • C60 Ultra-compact Industrial PC
  • X61-69 Control cabinet Industrial PC
  • C70 Ultra-compact Industrial PC

PLC software:

  • TwinCAT 3

Bosch Rexroth

Bosch Logo

An engineering firm based out of Germany, Bosch Rexroth is the product of a merger that occurred in 2001 between two companies. The merging parties were the Automation Technology Business Unit from Robert Bosch and Mannesmann Rexroth.

The company has a global support network, including physical locations in eighty countries.

Bosch Rexroth employs over 31,000 people, and the company made a sales revenue of 6.2 billion Euros in 2021.

Roughly half of the physical stores and warehouses are located in Germany, with the remainder evenly distributed throughout other continents.

Automation systems provided include electric drives and controls, industrial hydraulics, linear motion technology, and production assistants (APAS). The global industrial field control market is valued at USD 191.89 billion as of 2021.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • ILC-CML
  • ILC-XM
  • ILC-VPB

Toshiba Electronics

Tosihiba Logo

Toshiba electronics is widely known as a significant Japanese electronic device and computer manufacturer. Its headquarters is located in Tokyo, Japan.

 Toshiba is considered an excellent manufacturing company because of its advanced electrical and electronic products, power systems, and industrial and social infrastructure systems.

Aside from its HD TVs and laptops, it also manufactures industrial products, process control, and infrastructure solutions. It focuses mainly on highly functional materials, and while going forward, it is expanding its power semiconductor business.

From the most recent record in 2021, it has a total number of 117,300 employees from around the globe.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • Type 1 Light
  • V200 Micro
  • V100
  • V2000 (Legacy)

Phoenix Contact

Phoenix Contact Logo

Phoenix Contact is a German manufacturer specializing in industrial controls and automation. They are located in Blomberg, Germany, and employ 20,300 workers.

Their annual sales revenue for 2021 was $3.1 billion (2.97 billion Euros). The company was founded in 1923 in Essen, Germany as an electrical parts manufacturer.

In 1928 they developed the first modular terminal block. In the early 1980s, the company began to branch out to foreign markets, including Sweden and the United States. Around that same time, they developed their electronics systems to be protected against surge voltages.

The company, since its inception, continues to expand significantly and is a large producer of products in industrial manufacturing, infrastructure such as building automation, and the automotive industry.

Phoenix Contact plays an integral role in developing industrial controls and automation by providing products such as circuit breakers, marking and labeling presses, terminal blocks, surge protectors, relay modules, and PLCs.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • AXC-F Axioline F
  • RFC Remote Field
  • AXC Axiocontrol
  • ILC Inline PLC

Yokogawa

Yokogawa Logo

Yokogawa Electric is a Japanese corporation specializing in industrial automation controls for manufacturing.

They have a market cap of $4.57 billion and employ over 19,000 people worldwide.

The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, goes back to 1915, when it developed and produced electric meters. In the 1930s, they began researching and manufacturing aircraft instruments and later produced electronic recorders. In the 1960s, they entered into the industrial analyzer market and established an office in Europe.

They also became one of the first manufacturers to bring a distributed process control system to the market. They currently have multiple global locations, including Bahrain, India, Singapore, and the United States.

Yokogawa Electric continues to innovate in the fields of industrial controls and automation with state-of-the-art products such as programmable logic controllers, process controllers, temperature controllers, panel indicators, and software configuration tools.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • FA-M3 Vitesse
  • Stardom FCN-500

WAGO

WAGO Logo

WAGO, introduced in the year 1950, is one of the global manufacturing companies of electronic products at present.

The high efficiency of WAGO devices is one of the main reasons that keep it the top-selected product for developing automotive and elevator equipment. Apart from the above-specified applications, you can also select WAGO as a key component for developing PLCs, IIoT, and marine engineering products.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • PFC200 Advanced
  • PFC200
  • PFC100

Panasonic

Panasonic Logo

Panasonic is a Japanese electronics company founded in 1918 in Osaka, Japan. They currently have 240k employees worldwide, and its market cap is $19.39 billion as of 2021.

The company has been one the premier leaders in consumer electronics for decades, and its products include VHS camcorders, CD players, microwaves, and digital televisions.

The company has also played a significant role in manufacturing. They have produced industrial manufacturing technology and equipment, including capacitors, clean room equipment, fans, power supplies, and cable assemblies, just to name a few.

Panasonic has been a critical player in the field of industrial controls, as well. Their products for industrial control automation include relay outputs, temperature controllers, safety relays, electronic counters, and various other control panel components.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • FP7 High-Performance Modular PLC
  • FP2 PLC Modular high-speed
  • FP-Sigma Compact Modular
  • FP-X Compact Multi-Functional
  • FP0R Ultra Compact

Delta Electronics

Delta Logo

Delta Electronics

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • DVP
  • AS Compact
  • AH

Eaton (Cutler-Hammer)

EATON Logo

Eaton Corporation has its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. However, it was founded in the United States by Viggo Torbensen and Joseph Oriel Eaton the Second.

It is a joint Irish-American company dedicated to power management. One of its most notable acquisitions was Cutler-Hammer in 1978, a power control and automation company with a long history.

Cutler-Hammer was incorporated by Edward West Hammer and Harry Henderson Cutler in 1893, developing the world’s original patented automatic motor starter in 1900.

Eaton Corporation currently employs over 86k people and saw a global revenue worth 19.63 billion USD in 2021.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • XC Modular
  • XC Compact
  • EasyE4 Nano

Fuji Electric

Fuji Logo

Fuji Electric is a Japanese corporation that started manufacturing electrical equipment in 1924. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, has a market cap of $6.4 billion and employs 27k workers.

In addition to its Japanese roots, the company branched out to the United States in 1970 with the creation of Fuji Electric Corp. of America (FECOA) and now has numerous locations across the U.S.

The company began its journey into manufacturing by producing electric motors, turbines, fans, and magnetic switches, in addition to numerous other manufacturing equipment.

They continue to lead the way in innovation with products in the fields of power generation, food and beverage, transit systems, semiconductors, and power supplies. Industrial instrumentation and controls play a significant role in the company’s output.

They produce devices such as flow meters, temperature controllers, pressure transmitters, overload relays, and gas analyzers, all of which are essential in industrial manufacturing plants.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • Micrex-SX Series PLC System

Hitachi

Hitachi Logo

Hitachi is a Japanese corporation that produces various products for multiple sectors, including green energy, digital and automotive systems, industrial services, and medical equipment.

The company was founded in 1910 and is currently headquartered in Chiyoda, Japan. They have a market cap of $48.16 billion and have over 350k employees.

Hitachi began as a venture for a mining company and was responsible for building Japan’s first 4-kilowatt induction motor over a century ago. Since then, the Hitachi corporation has become one of the world’s foremost producers of manufacturing technologies, digital systems such as telecommunications, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and advanced industrial products.

Their role in industrial controls remains a large part of their overall mission as a company. They continue to produce vital products for the manufacturing sector, such as air compressors, programmable logic controllers, fans and blowers, and low-noise sorting systems for production plant assembly lines.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • Micro-EH Compact
  • EH-150 Modular
  • EHV Modular
  • H-Series High-Performance PLC

Honeywell

Honeywell Logo

Honeywell is an American corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electrical and wiring products, control panels, sensors, aerospace technologies, and industrial automation equipment.

They have a market cap of $155.4 billion and employ around 100k workers. The company was founded in 1885, became the Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. in 1906, and has a long legacy of creating industrial and mechanical products.

The Honeywell company continues to innovate to this day in a wide array of fields, including aerospace and defense, as well as providing industrial control technology for the manufacturing sector.

With everything from automation systems to software and control systems, the company plays a vital role in industrial controls worldwide and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • ControlEdge
  • MasterLogic ML200
  • MasterLogic ML50

Idec Corporation

IDEC Logo

DEC Corporation is a manufacturer of Automation and Control products. The company was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1945.

IDEC is known for its various electro-mechanical control products such as relays, timers, and switches.

The company also manufactures automation products, such as

  • Programmable logic controller (PLCs)
  • Human Machine Interface (HMI)
  • power supplies
  • sensors
  • switches
  • bar code readers

Software for PLC programming is free with the purchase of related products and can be downloaded for time-limited use.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • FC6A MicroSmart Plus
  • FC6A MicroSmart
  • FT1A SmartAXIS

IFM Electronic

IFM Logo

IFM Electronics, one of the leading global companies, has contributed immensely to the manufacturing of electronic systems. Introducing sensors with advanced technologies has already given a wide range of applications in the health field. At present, the magnetic sensors and pressure sensors of IFM Electronics have attained worldwide recognition.

The influence of IFM Electronics in image processing is another application that has made the company famous. RFID image sensing with IFB Electronics assures high-quality images with excellent accuracy.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • CR Ecomat
  • CR Classic
  • CR Smart
  • CR Basic

Keyence

Keyence Logo

Keyence was founded in 1974 in Japan; It has around 8,380 employees as of 2020 and 4.9 billion in revenue.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • V-8000 Series
  • KV-7000 Series
  • KV-5000/3000 series
  • KV-Nano series

Unitronics

Unitronics Logo

Unitronics company originated in Israel at the year 1989. Today Unitronics is a global manufacturer of industrial automation products, mainly programmable logic controllers, server management, control and automatic operation of processes, machines, production lines, and other automated applications.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • UniStream
  • Vision
  • Samba
  • Jazz
  • M90

Opto22

Opto22 Logo

Opto 22 was founded in 1974 in Temecula, California.

Opto 22 specializes in hardware and software products for industrial automation, remote monitoring, and data acquisition and also developed the first computer-based plug-in I/O modules.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • groov EPIC

PLC Software:

  • PAC Control
  • CODESYS
  • Red Node

LS Electric (LSIS)

LS Logo

LS Electric is part of LS Group, a South Korean conglomerate with about 100 subsidiaries in 25 countries. The main focus of the company is electrical equipment and automation system. The Koo family owns the company, the founding family of LG Group.

LS Group was split off from LG Group in 2003. In 2010, LS Group had about $25.2 billion in revenue worldwide

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  • XGT, XGK, XGI, XGR
  • XGB
  • Master-K
  • GM

Controllino

Controllino Logo

CONTROLLINO is an Austrian company manufacturer of cost-effective industrial PLCs with open source software, fully compatible with Arduino.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  •  

Wecon Technology

Wecon Technology Logo

Wecon Technology is a Chinese company founded in 2004 and today a global supplier with 400 employees. WECON design and manufacture HMIs, PLCs, SERVO drives, and Inverter.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  •  

Kinco

Kinco Logo

Kinco Automation is a Chinese company founded in 1943 that specializes in producing and selling industrial controls.

The company is located in Shanghai, China, with over a $448 million market cap. They employ an estimated 563 employees as of 2021 reporting.

The company provides various cost-effective industrial controls and automation solutions internationally for companies in Germany, India, Turkey, and Italy.

Kinco Automation is continually innovating new products in their several R&D centers throughout China; They are also partnered with a company in the United States, Anaheim Automation, Inc., to bring their products to a North American market.

The company produces industrial control products such as AC servos, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), as well as other components and accessories.

Their products are used in many sectors, including textile manufacturing, healthcare equipment, packaging, and electronics manufacturing.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  •  

Fatek

Fatek Logo

Fatek Automation is a Taiwanese company specializing in industrial controls and automation. The company was founded in 1992 by a group of engineers who wished to create user-friendly automated control products, specifically the design and manufacturing of Programmable Logic Controllers.

Headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan, the company has an estimated number of employees of around 200.

Although a relatively young company when compared to some of its competitors, Fatek has become recognized in the industry as a reliable and respected manufacturer of industrial control products.

The company produces a wide array of products, including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), Supervisory Control and Data Application (SCADA) software, Open Platform Communications (OPC) servers, power supplies, and servos.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  •  

General Industrial Controls (GIC)

General Industrial Controls (GIC), founded in 1972 in Pune, India, manufactures Process Control, Automation, and Instrumentation products.

PLC Series with supported programming software:

  •  

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