Stringent EU Regulations Drive Investments in Automation and Control Solutions in the Water and Waste Water Sector

Business Wire, March 5, 2007

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c51470) has announced the addition of the Frost & Sullivan report: Automation and Control Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector to their offering.

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Automation and Control Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector provides a detailed analysis of the automation and control solutions market in the water and waste water sector. The study includes a description of key drivers, restraints, as well as challenges and highlights strategies for participants at different levels of competition. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed control systems (DCSs), human machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), industrial asset management (IAM) and manufacturing execution systems (MES).

Market Sectors

Expert analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

-Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems

-Distributed control systems (DCSs)

-Human machine interfaces (HMIs)

-Programmable logic controllers (PLCs)

-Industrial asset management (IAM)

-Manufacturing execution systems (MES)

Stringent EU Regulations Drive Investments in Automation and Control Solutions in the Water and Waste Water Sector

EU regulations are providing strong impetus to the automation and control solutions market in the European water and waste water sector. With the EU legislation requiring regions to upgrade their water treatment infrastructure, the automation and control solutions market has witnessed continued growth from 2003 to 2006. As the western European markets are showing signs of maturity, the automation and control solutions manufacturers will need to look out for opportunities in the emerging eastern European and Iberian markets, where tremendous growth potential is predicted. In parts of Italy and Benelux too, large-scale implementation of water treatment plants is being undertaken. Thus, with investments showing an upward trend primarily due to the participation of private water companies and continuous technological advancements in automation systems, steady growth of the market is anticipated.

"The automation and control solutions market in the water and wastewater sector is primarily driven by the EU's stringent directives that aim at improving the water and waste water infrastructure across Europe," notes the analyst of this research service. "The flow of investments towards this cause is likely to result in the installation of new water and waste water treatment plants, predominantly in eastern Europe and Iberia, where the infrastructure is poor." At present, most regions in Europe have poor networking with respect to water distribution and wastewater treatment. In particular, the accession countries face the impact of the EU regulations more severely, due to the time frame within which the directives must be transposed into actions.

Compatibility, Integration and Service Support Crucial Competitive Factors

One of the key challenges that manufacturers are facing is the need to provide systems that seamlessly integrate with the existing plant infrastructure. As plant personnel are eager to retain the value of existing plant infrastructure, manufacturers will need to provide automation and control systems, which are compatible to the existing plant set-up and are easier to integrate. "Besides, end users are conservative in their outlook on the issue of revamping the existing systems in order to incorporate the latest automation and control solutions," explains the analyst. "Integration issues and the high costs involved in adopting new automation solutions are the key factors responsible for end user reluctance." This has either prohibited or delayed the implementation of new automation and control solutions.

In the future, system integrators, with their engineering expertise and local market knowledge are likely to play a pivotal role in the distribution structure of the market. With service being an important criterion for end users, strong networking with system integrators will become imperative in offering continuous service and maintenance support. Finally, while there are compatibility and integration challenges, technological developments and the trend towards PC-based systems are expected to lead to more open systems and will contribute to market expansion.

Topics Covered

- 1. Executive Summary

- 2. Industry Challenges

- 3. Total Forecasts for Automation and Control Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector

- 4. Forecasts for SCADA Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector

- 5. Forecasts for DCS Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector

- 6. Forecasts for HMI Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector

- 7. Forecasts for PLC Solutions in the European Water and Waste Water Sector