“DIN-rail IPCs are not new in the IPC market, but several trends have coincided to seed growth for the future,” explains IHS senior analyst, Toby Colquhoun. “First, control engineers have increasing confidence in PC-based technology for critical tasks, whereas in the past using a PLC was the only acceptable solution. Second, most manufacturing organisations continue to connect factory and enterprise networks. As enterprise networks are typically PC-based, DIN-rail IPCs allow seamless integration between decision-makers and the factory floor.”

According to Colquhoun, DIN rail-IPC suppliers have begun to offer next-generation products. In 2011, Advantech and Beckhoff accounted for the lion’s share of revenues. But IHS predicts that the market structure will change in future as new DIN-rail IPC suppliers – including Siemens, IEI and Nexcom – offer new products and reach new customers.