Process Control and Commercial Control constitute the largest single revenue-producing segment for industrial semiconductors, and this is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, as greater innovation evolves industrial market technologies.

Vendors need to be able to provide the products and technologies required, as manufacturers become more demanding. But more than that, to be successful, equipment makers must have the ability to serve all or many of a given manufacturer’s requirements. In other words, provide customers with a comprehensive vision of future infrastructure, combining hardware and software to provide both factory processes and business processes that work well together.

Customers of industrial process and control electronics are learning how to successfully integrate factory functions with business functions, such that these manufacturers can more effectively produce and compete. Of course, manufacturing continues to move toward lower-cost regions of the world, and away from developed regions. And manufacturers in the developed countries face a range of issues, but all of the issues are fuelled by the necessity and desire to effectively compete.

This study provides readers with a detailed analysis on chips used in the industrial controls segment.  Revenue forecasts are provided for 14 categories of semiconductor products as well as the total available market for chips.  End equipment shipment forecasts are also provided along with market share for OEM suppliers.

Significant findings include:
- Databeans estimates that chips used in process controls, building controls, and inventory tracking systems reached
  $6.9 billion or roughly 27 percent of the 2005 industrial chip market.

- Remaining segments include test and measurement (26 percent), military and aerospace (9 percent),
  medical (8 percent), and other equipment used in data acquisition (30 percent).

- Semiconductors designed for the controls market currently include mostly discretes, analog components,
  microcontrollers, and logic.

- The total market for industrial semiconductors was valued at $26 billion for 2005.