Technological Change recorded from the Users Point of View

Technological change shows two aspects. It is naturally constituted by new and/or improved technologies on the part of the manufacturers. And it is the user who decides, in which extent these technologies are applied for. How can the impact of the user on the technological change be recorded?

The three influencing factors of the user

February 1 2010 The machine-builders decide which control technology at the machines is used. This can be different technologies such as PLC, PC, CNC, customised microprocessor solutions, contactor-based control technology, VMEbus computer etc.

 

Such decisions spread the one control technology while others are diminished. This change affects the control technologies in three ways.

• Stability - the machine-builder keeps hold of the current control technology and/or combines it with other control technologies (e.g. PLC with CNC) and/or makes an upgrade (as from S5 to S7) or a downgrade.
• Substitution - the machine-builder substitutes the current control technology (e.g. PLC) by another (e.g. PC).
• New use - the machine-builder uses for the first time a control technology.

The three user-constituted positions in the technological change

The positions of the control technologies result from the changed decisions of the machine-builders, i.e.

• stable
• substitution-threatened and
• attractive control technologies that attract new users.

With these three positions one has the change of the control technologies from the user point of view at a glance.

Control technologies 2009/98 in the change

Thus the diagram at the top shows at a glance, how the position of the control technologies is changed by the changed decisions of the machine-builders.

We regard the change in the year 2009 related to the year 2008 and consider the number of machine-builders with change decisions. The detailed trend analysis of Quest TechnoMarketing „What the machine-builder wants to change in the automation technology in 2009“ considers additionally the machinery potential connected with the changes.

The chart shows the positions of the control technologies in the change of the year 2009:

• In the change stable control technologies are the CNC and the contactor-based control technology.

• Substitution-threatened control technologies are the PLC and the microprocessor solutions

• In the change attractive control technology is the PC-based control system. It wins new user on balance.