🌐 The Evolution and Future Trends of PLC Automation

🌐 The Evolution and Future Trends of PLC Automation

🌐 The Evolution and Future Trends of PLC Automation

A Visual Guide to Where Industrial Control Is Heading

🏭 1. The Birth of PLC: The Beginning of Modern Automation

The PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) was born in 1968 in the U.S. automotive industry.
Its mission was simple:

  • Replace complex relay cabinets

  • Improve reliability

  • Simplify wiring

  • Make factory logic programmable

Early PLCs featured:

✔ Simple logic
✔ Ladder diagram programming
✔ Rugged design
✔ Perfect for automotive, packaging, food, and general manufacturing

PLC quickly became the brain of the industrial world.

🔧 2. Four Major Stages of PLC Evolution

Stage 1: Replacing Relays (1970–1985)

✔ Basic logic control
✔ Digital I/O
✔ Reduced maintenance

Representative models:
Allen-Bradley PLC-2, Modicon 084, Siemens S3

Stage 2: Advanced Logic & Analog Control (1985–2000)

✔ Math functions
✔ Analog modules
✔ Multi-tasking
✔ Rise of fieldbus systems

Key models:
Siemens S7-300
Schneider TSX
Allen-Bradley SLC 500

Stage 3: Networking and Smart Control (2000–2015)

✔ Ethernet built-in
✔ Remote programming
✔ Faster CPUs
✔ Data logging

Examples:
Siemens S7-1200/1500
AB CompactLogix
OMRON NJ
Beckhoff TwinCAT

Stage 4: Integration with IT & Digitalization (2015–Now)

The era of Industry 4.0 transformed PLCs:

  • Edge computing performance

  • Built-in security

  • Real-time data exchange

  • High-speed motion + vision

  • OPC UA / MQTT / TSN support

Modern PLCs are no longer just controllers—they are industrial computing platforms.

🚀 3. Key Trends Shaping the Future of PLCs

🔥 Trend 1: PLC + Edge Computing Becomes Standard

Future PLCs will have:

  • Server-level processors

  • Local data analytics

  • AI inference capability

  • Native cloud connectivity

This transforms PLCs into industrial edge computers.

Examples:
Beckhoff IPC, Siemens Industrial Edge, Rockwell Plex Edge

🔥 Trend 2: AI Drives Intelligent Industrial Control

AI will help PLCs:

  • Optimize parameters automatically

  • Improve takt time

  • Reduce energy usage

  • Perform predictive maintenance

  • Execute AI-powered vision inspection

PLC will move from “executor” to decision-maker.

🔥 Trend 3: SoftPLC Will Rapidly Expand

SoftPLC = Industrial PC + Software + I/O

Benefits:

  • Lower hardware cost

  • High performance

  • Flexible scalability

  • Easy IT/OT integration

Leading ecosystems:
Codesys, TwinCAT, Ignition, Siemens SoftPLC

🔥 Trend 4: Cloud PLC Is Becoming Reality

Many future control tasks will move to the cloud:

  • Program runs remotely

  • Field devices only provide I/O

  • High-speed industrial networks execute commands

Perfect for distributed factories, warehouses, and logistics.

🔥 Trend 5: PLC Systems Become More Open

Future PLCs will natively support:

  • OPC UA

  • MQTT

  • REST API

  • DDS

  • TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking)

Machine → Machine → Cloud connections will be seamless.

🔥 Trend 6: Robotics & PLC Will Fully Converge

PLC is evolving into:

  • Motion controller

  • Robot controller

  • Safety controller

Engineering roles will shift from “electrician” to automation architect.

Beckhoff, B&R, Mitsubishi, and Omron already blur the line between robots and PLC.

🌍 4. Why PLC Demand Will Continue to Grow

✔ Labor shortages

Automation replaces manual work.

✔ Long machine lifecycles

10–30 year old PLCs require spare parts for maintenance.

✔ Global supply chain transformation

Factories now source globally, not locally.

✔ Digital transformation

MES, ERP, and AI rely on PLC data.

✔ Fast-growing new industries

EV batteries, solar, semiconductors, logistics, and food processing all depend on PLC systems.

💡 5. What This Means for Automation Traders and Suppliers

Your industry—
PLC, drives, sensors, encoders, industrial spare parts
—will experience huge demand because:

  • Obsolete PLC models (S7-300, SLC, TSX, etc.) are still widely used

  • Factories urgently need replacement parts

  • Cross-border procurement is exploding

  • European & U.S. inventory is shipped globally

  • Industrial e-commerce is expanding rapidly

The spare-parts market is entering a golden era.

⭐ Conclusion: PLC Is Not Disappearing — It’s Transforming

Over the next decade, PLCs will evolve into:

  • The edge intelligence center

  • The digital brain of factories

  • The core of predictive maintenance

  • The bridge between automation and AI

For engineers, integrators, and global MRO / spare-parts suppliers, this is the best time in history to be part of the automation world.

The PLC revolution is far from over—it's accelerating.