Posted to News on 2nd Nov 2016, 17:15
Increasing demand for safety PLCs and laser scanners
Safety components alone are not enough to satisfy customer needs. Safety system packages are becoming popular, as the demand for services and data is increasing. Smarter safety products meet safety requirements but also benefit other aspects of production. The idea is that the more data that can be analysed, the greater efficiency, the shorter the downtime, the lower the risk of equipment failure, and the better management of maintenance.
Industrial networking is part of safety systems and connectivity. Some older fieldbus technologies are inherently safe, but it has taken some time to ensure that some Ethernet technologies are fully safe. There are still opportunities for newer technologies with potential for high-end devices.
According to research from the Discrete Machine-Safety Components Annual Service, revenues from safety I/O are projected to grow faster than those from standard I/O. Digital modules in safety I/O remain the most popular globally; and most likely to remain so, as analogue costs more and can be seen as unnecessary.
Basic drives are the most common and becoming commonplace in emerging countries since they cost less and there is less stringent legislation on implementing safety practices in manufacturing. However, in EMEA, sales of advanced drives are starting to grow quickly.
The focus on machine-safety components in mature markets is shifting from price to providing more features, benefits and connectivity. This shift means the mature market tends to use high-end components. Globally, IHS Markit predicts that:
- revenues of laser scanners will surpass those of Type 2 light curtains in 2018
- revenues from safety PLCs will surpass those from safety relays in 2019
Neither of these trends is predicted to occur in the Asia-Pacific machine-safety markets, where price pressure remains high.
The requirement for, and the use of, safety PLCs is gradually increasing every year. Mature markets are seeking advanced systems. With this need in mind, there will be a push on the prices of high-end PLCs, and so the ASP will decrease.
Bottom line
- Increasing demand for smarter safety systems packages
- Revenues of laser scanners projected to surpass those of Type 2 light curtains in 2018
- Revenues of safety PLCs predicted to exceed those of safety relays in 2019
Further research and analysis about safety systems and related subjects can be found at www.ihs.com.
