2021 Leadership in Automation: First Team Honorees

Jan. 28, 2021
Automation World’s Leadership in Automation program reflects reader input on the companies they recognize as being outstanding suppliers of industrial automation technologies.

End users’ selection of automation technologies—including hardware devices and software platforms—is contingent on many factors. These factors include established business relationships, familiarity with the technology, ease of integration, availability of support, and, of course, price. The importance of relationships, familiarity, and support play a prominent role in automation technology decisions because users rely on these technologies to not only keep them competitive, but keep them in business. This often translates into users being rather consistent in their technology supplier preferences.

However, we are seeing more and more companies—outside the scope of the most recognized players—receiving recognition from Automation World readers. Recommendation by our readers is the driving force behind our Leadership in Automation program. The honorees listed on the following pages were noted by readers in an open-ended survey that Automation World maintains nearly year-round on the AutomationWorld.com site. We do this to ensure that reader responses are not influenced by a pre-determined list on a survey. Instead, respondents weigh in with their honest preferences.

This year’s Leadership in Automation honorees list, created from the recommendations of your peers across industry, is designed to help highlight the technology suppliers most worthy of your consideration as you make product buying decisions in the coming year. Please return the favor by letting us know who your preferred suppliers are as well. Visit awgo.to/lia to access the voting survey for our 2022 Leadership in Automation program. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Actuators & Valves
Alarm Management
Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality
Cables
Cloud Computing
Data Acquisition Hardware including I/O
Drives
Edge Computing
Enclosures
Energy Management
Historian/Data Acquisition Software
OSISoft (now owned by Aveva)
HMI Hardware
HMI Software
Hydraulics/Pneumatics
Industrial PCs
IoT Platforms
Maintenance/Reliability
MES/MOM Software
Mobile HMI/SCADA
Motors
Networking-Wired
Networking-Wireless
PLCs/PACs

Power Supplies
Emerson/SolaHD
IDEC
Mean Well
Phoenix Contact
Siemens Industry
Weidmüller

Process Control Software
Aveva
Emerson/Delta V
Honeywell Process Solutions
Rockwell Automation
Schneider Electric
Siemens Industry
Yokogawa

Robotics
ABB Robotics
Epson Robots
Fanuc
Kuka
Mitsubishi Electric Automation
Omron Industrial Automation
Stäubli
Universal Robots
Yaskawa

Safety-Machine
Banner Engineering
IDEC
Omron Industrial Automation
Pilz Automation Safety
Rockwell Automation
Schmersal
Schneider Electric
Sick
Siemens Industry

Safety-Process
Emerson/Delta V
Honeywell Process Solutions
Omron Industrial Automation
Sick
Siemens Industry

SCADA
Aveva
Emerson
GE Digital
Inductive Automation
Siemens Industry

Sensors-Discrete
Balluff
Banner Engineering 
IFM Efector
Omron Industrial Automation
Pepperl+Fuchs
Sick
Telemecanique
Turck

Sensors-Process
Balluff
Emerson
Endress+Hauser
IFM Efector
Sick
Siemens Industry
Wika
Yokogawa

Simulation/Modeling
Siemens Digital Industries Software

Vision Systems
Balluff
Banner Engineering 
Cognex
Keyence
Omron Industrial Automation
Teledyne Dalsa

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