Global PLC market returns to growth in 2017, after two-year contraction

两年萎缩之后，全球PLC市场2017年将重拾涨势

The global market for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) suffered strong headwinds and contracted by 11.5 percent in 2015, with revenue falling to $8.3 billion, according to the IHS Markit PLCs Annual Intelligence Service. The market will continue to contract through 2016 for several reasons, including an unfavorable economic climate in emerging economies. Other concerns include China’s ongoing economic slowdown and overcapacity in most heavy industries, as well as the end of the commodity super-cycle. However, there is light on the horizon: global revenue from PLCs, with their associated software and services, are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8 percent from 2017 to 2020, reaching $9.3 billion.

《IHS Markit PLC年度情报服务》显示，2015年全球可编程逻辑控制器（PLC）市场经历强烈的动荡，市场萎缩了11.5%，销售额下降到83亿美元。由于多种原因，包括新兴经济体不利的经济环境等，这一市场在2016年将继续萎缩。其他问题包括中国持续的经济放缓和大多数重工业的产能过剩，以及大宗商品超级周期的结束。但是，曙光来了：PLC及其相关软件和服务的全球收入，从2017年到2020年，预计将以3.8％的复合年增长率（CAGR）增长，达到93亿美元。

Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will continue to be the largest regional market for PLCs, accounting for over one third of the 2020 global revenues. The Asia-Pacific market will grow the fastest over the next five years -- especially from 2018 to 2020 – driven by the fast-growing Indian and Southeast Asian markets and a recovering Chinese market tied to South Korean and Taiwanese markets. The American region is expected to be the second-fastest growing market, with a strong recovery starting in 2017.

欧洲，中东和非洲地区（EMEA）将继续是PLC的*大区域市场，占2020年全球收入的三分之一以上。由于印度和东南亚市场增长较快，同时与韩国和台湾市场息息相关的中国市场复苏，亚太市场将在未来五年内增长*快，特别是从2018年到2020年。美国地区预计将是**快的增长市场，从2017年开始强劲复苏。

Of course, the performance of the PLC market depends largely on the underlying growth in the discrete and process-manufacturing sectors where PLCs are mainly applied. Machine tools, packaging machinery and automotive sectors were the three largest markets for PLCs. However, these markets, -- especially the machine tool sector -- are forecast to grow more slowly from 2015 to 2020 than the market average. The machine-tool sector suffered a big decline in 2015 in China and the United States, which are the leading national markets for machine tools.

当然，PLC市场的表现在很大程度上取决于主要应用PLC的离散和过程制造行业的潜在增长。机床、包装机械和汽车行业是PLC的三大市场。然而，这几个市场，特别是机床行业，预计从2015年到2020年增长速度要低于市场平均水平。2015年，机床行业在中国和美国市场大幅下滑，而这两个国家正是全球**的机床市场。

In discrete-manufacturing sectors, robotics is still the fastest growing for PLCs. Currently robots are widely used in automotive manufacturing, the electrical and electronics industries, and other fast-growing industrial production industries. As core components of robots, PLCs are expected to benefit greatly from the global robot boom. Food, beverage and tobacco machinery will be the second-fastest growing sector from 2015 to 2020. In process manufacturing sectors, water and wastewater, pharmaceutical and power-generation sectors are forecast to grow most quickly.

在离散制造行业，机器人仍然是PLC发展*快的领域。目前机器人广泛应用于汽车制造、电气电子工业等快速增长的工业生产行业。作为机器人的核心部件，PLC预计将从全球机器人热潮中受益匪浅。食品、饮料和**机械将是2015年至2020年增长速度**快的行业。在过程制造行业，水处理、制药和发电行业预计增长*快。