Eighth wonder

There has always been an urge to know what the future will bring, especially when there is a vested interest. For instance, beginning from 1400 BC, for almost a 1,000 years, people would travel for many miles to reach the Greek town of Delphi in order to consult the Oracle – an appointed woman believed to act as a conduit for the god Apollo – who would spew forth predictions on anything from the best time for a farmer to plant his fields to whether a neighboring empire should be invaded.

While we don’t claim that the 25 automation industry leaders and analysts invited to contribute their thoughts for this issue’s Cover Story possess any mystical Delphic powers, they certainly have enough of a finger on the pulse to get a sense of both the outlook for the market and the type of technologies that are coming to prominence.

The last few years have undoubtedly been good for players in the automation industry, as the strong global economy has spurred demand for all manner of manufactured products, and as the power, energy, water, and other infrastructure sectors have boomed to feed the appetite of fast emerging countries like China, India, and Vietnam.

While the chances of a US recession do appear to be increasing by the day, the consensus seems to be that although Asia may still not be “decoupled” from the US, there should be sufficient intra-regional activity to keep industry momentum going in 2008.

And Alex Khoo of Schneider Electric makes the valid point that inflationary and oil price pressures forcing manufacturers to look for efficiencies in both production activities and energy consumption actually translates to a growth opportunity for the business. As for technology, wireless stands out, as last year’s product launches morph into real projects delivering real benefits. Fieldbus continues to be important, in terms of higher penetration and broader application areas such as process safety, and the notably increased activity of network infrastructure suppliers like MTL, MooreHawke, Pepperl+Fuchs, and Turck.

But whatever pleasant surprises or upsets 2008 does eventually bring, as we enter our third year of publication, all of us here at Control Engineering Asia remain dedicated to delivering all the relevant information you need to keep your own finger on the pulse. And we look forward to sharing the ride with you. Let the games begin.