Compact Panel, a Windows CE-based device that provides a bundled hardware/software HMI solution that can easily be incorporated in a single machine or small process cell for price-sensitive applications, Garbrecht says. “That’s definitely very popular, and we’re seeing it going in all around the world.”

As users’ requirements and sophistication levels grow, they can scale up as needed to more fully configured Wonderware Industrial Computer or System Platform level products running the company’s InTouch software, he says. It’s Wonderware’s answer to one of the biggest challenges facing automation suppliers, Garbrecht says—developing a cost-effective solution that meets users’ low-end application needs, without cannibalizing the rest of its product offerings.

ARC’S Resnick agrees that even the largest vendors must keep low-end applications in mind. While MES software suites have a major role to play, he says, ARC advises automation suppliers to address both ends of the scale. “If you’re purely dealing with the suites, that’s great, but they might not solve the lowest-level applications,” Resnick counsels.

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