More clients served by industrial automation are integrating automation equipment from several different vendors. This follows a third straight year of increased activity in mergers and acquisitions in North America, according to the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA), a global professional association for control system integration companies.
“Our CSIA members are increasingly providing solutions to clients involved in mergers and acquisitions,” said Bob Lowe, executive director of CSIA, in a prepared statement.
A 2012 survey conducted by Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries shows close to half of the business executives queried expect an upsurge in mergers and acquisitions. Higher growth is forecast in manufacturing where 62 percent of business leaders believe the number of M&A transactions will climb through 2014. Increased opportunities in emerging markets are credited for advancing this trend.
Lowe adds that during mergers and acquisitions, automation initiatives result in system consolidations, waste reduction and improved yields. In addition, companies are increasingly realizing the value of control system integration because they want to manage the risk associated with multiple automation systems.
Lowe said directors of quality, plant superintendents, and many others are discovering that automation upgrades are necessary to compete. “Integrated automation systems make them more accountable to their customers and can help drive cost out of their product.”
To learn more about CSIA, visit www.controlsys.org.
