Automation Vendors

The top automation vendors in the United States include a mix of global industry leaders and key regional players. These companies provide a wide range of products and services, including industrial robots, controllers, sensors, and software platforms that enable smart manufacturing.

Major Players in the U.S. Market

The U.S. automation market is dominated by a few key players known for their comprehensive product portfolios and strong market presence.

  • Rockwell Automation: A major American player, Rockwell Automation is a leader in industrial automation and information solutions. They are well known for their Allen-Bradley brand of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and their FactoryTalk software suite. Rockwell’s strong focus on integrated architecture makes them a primary choice for many U.S. manufacturers.
  • Siemens: While a German company, Siemens has a significant footprint in the U.S. and is a global powerhouse in industrial automation and digitization. They provide a vast array of solutions, including their SIMATIC line of PLCs and their Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal software, which is used to program controllers, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), and drives.
  • Honeywell International: Honeywell is a multinational conglomerate with a strong presence in process automation. Their solutions, including the Experion platform, are widely used in industries like oil and gas, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals that require precise and reliable process control.
  • Emerson Electric Co.: Emerson is another U.S.-based leader in process automation, offering a wide range of products from control and safety systems to measurement and analytical instrumentation. Their solutions are used to improve efficiency and safety in complex industrial environments.
  • ABB: Headquartered in Switzerland, ABB is a global technology company with a strong U.S. presence. They are well known for their industrial robots, robotics and discrete automation, and electrification products.

Key Robot Manufacturers

Robotics is a major component of modern manufacturing, and several companies specialize in this area.

  • FANUC: A Japanese company with a large U.S. presence, FANUC is a global leader in industrial robots and factory automation systems. They are known for their reliable, yellow-colored robots used in a variety of applications from welding to assembly.
  • KUKA: A German manufacturer, KUKA is a leader in robotic systems, especially for the automotive industry. Their orange robots are a familiar sight in modern manufacturing plants.

Other Important Vendors

Beyond the major players, several other companies contribute to the U.S. automation landscape.

  • Schneider Electric: This French company has a strong presence in the U.S. and provides a wide range of products for energy management and automation. They are known for their Modicon PLCs and their focus on sustainability.
  • Mitsubishi Electric: This Japanese company offers a broad range of automation products, including PLCs, servos, and human-machine interfaces (HMIs).
  • Yokogawa Electric: A Japanese company specializing in industrial automation, Yokogawa is particularly known for its distributed control systems (DCS) used in process industries.

Industrial Automation Software Platforms

These companies are at the forefront of providing the core software platforms used for industrial automation.

  • Rockwell Automation: A major U.S. player, Rockwell is a leader in industrial automation and information solutions. Their Studio 5000 Logix Designer software is the primary programming environment for their flagship ControlLogix and CompactLogix PLCs. Their FactoryTalk suite provides a comprehensive set of tools for human-machine interface (HMI), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and manufacturing execution systems (MES).
  • Siemens: While a German company, Siemens has a significant footprint in the U.S. and is a global powerhouse in industrial software. Their Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal is a leading software platform used to program and configure their PLCs, HMIs, and drives from a single environment.
  • Honeywell: Honeywell is a multinational conglomerate with a strong presence in process automation. Their Experion process knowledge system is a widely used software platform for controlling and optimizing processes in industries like chemicals, refining, and pharmaceuticals.
  • Emerson Electric Co.: A U.S.-based leader in process automation, Emerson provides software solutions for control and safety systems. Their DeltaV distributed control system (DCS) software is a core part of their offerings for complex industrial processes.

SCADA and HMI Software Specialists

These vendors are known for their software that provides operators and managers with a visual interface to monitor and control industrial processes.

  • Inductive Automation: This U.S. company is known for its Ignition software platform. Ignition is a popular SCADA and HMI solution that offers an unlimited licensing model, making it highly scalable and flexible for various industrial applications.
  • AVEVA: A UK-based company with a large U.S. presence, AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software. They provide a broad portfolio of solutions, including AVEVA System Platform (formerly Wonderware), which is used for SCADA, HMI, and MES applications.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

While often associated with business process automation, these vendors’ software is also used in manufacturing for tasks like data transfer and reporting.

  • UiPath: A leading provider of robotic process automation (RPA) software, UiPath offers a platform that helps companies automate repetitive tasks. While it’s used across many industries, manufacturing uses it for automating data entry, generating reports, and managing administrative tasks.
  • Automation Anywhere: Another major RPA vendor, Automation Anywhere provides software that helps businesses build and deploy digital bots to automate business processes.