Depending on who is doing the arithmetic, the world market for electronic automation technology is valued at between €120 billion and €230 billion. In 2006, according to the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI), it grew six percent.

According to the ARC Advisory Group, globalization is the driving force behind this increase. Indeed, globalization demands that manufacturing companies live by the motto “faster, cheaper, better.”
In order to survive in such a competitive environment, manufacturers need to respond to market demands in an agile and flexible
manner. They also have to cut their costs, boost their productivity and performance, and shorten product lifecycles.

All of the above require standardized platforms and protocols. What is more, production lines must not only be scalable and adaptable, they also need to be characterized by the lowest possible maintenance costs.
The automation industry’s key market segments are motor systems (consisting of a drives, controllers and motors); numerical controllers; and programmable logic controls.

logic controllers (PLCs) play a key role in factory automation. These products undergo continuous improvement in terms of functionality, communications, diagnostic capabilities, scalability, and software.
ARC expects says that the sales of programmable logic controllers will rise from $7.5 billion in 2005 to $10 billion by 2010.
The leading supplier of hardware, software, and services in this area is Siemens, which holds a 28.7 percent market
share.

We are talking the market trend according the research of customer.
In the survay by Aberdeen Group in 2006, the most/first customer requirement of Automation is to shorter product lifecycles, which 49% customer agreed with. followed by the second requirement -- globalization/ supply chain(43%)

Users plan to efficiently link all product-relevant IT solutions by means of PLM (product lifecycle management). While the worldwide market for PLM products amounted to around $11 billion in 2006 and is forecast to hit $16 billion by 2010.
With a market share of 13 percent, Cadence, which specializes in CAD systems, was the number one company in the PLM market in 2005, followed by Dassault Systems and UGS — now part of Siemens — both with 11 percent.
The largest PLM market is the U.S., which accounts for 47 percent, followed by Europe (36 percent) and the Asia-Pacific region (15 percent). And no doubt, Asia-Pacific Region will become the fastest growing market of PLM.

The objectives of PLM are product and process optimization, reduced time-to-market, lower costs, higher flexibility, and improved planning and process quality. manufacturing companies have a lot to gain from PLM. Implementation can cut development time and boost productivity by at least 20 percent. And they will enjoy a 19 percent increase in sales, while their production and development
costs fall by 16 percent.