April 2019

COMMENT n HOWDO YOU RESEARCH THE MARKET RESEARCHERS? On most mornings, I start my day with a browse through the latest news items on Google News on topics that are relevant to Drives and Controls. It never fails to amaze me howmany market research reports are apparently being published on various aspects of automation and motion engineering – some of them looking at very specific technologies and markets. There used to be a handful of well-known market research organisations that you could usually rely on to have done their research diligently before publishing well-considered reports that provided valuable insights into the markets that they covered. Now, there are dozens of companies (or possibly individuals) churning out scores of reports whose value and accuracy is debatable. The picture is further complicated by the presence of companies – many with similar names – that distribute reports prepared by other organisations, but sometimes give the impression that they have produced the reports themselves. Obviously, you only need to sell a few reports at $5,000 or $10,000 apiece to generate quite a lucrative business. But it is hard to believe that the dozens of market research“organisations”are putting in the hours of time-consuming and costly research, and talking to all of the key players in a sector, that they need to do if they are going to produce authoritative and well-informed analyses of particular sectors. Many of these organisations produce reports that predict the value of a global market to the nearest $100,000 in five or ten years’time. The figures are almost certainly going to be wide of the mark, especially given the volatile economic times that we are living through. By the end of the forecast period, many of these researchers will be long gone but, in any case, anyone who has bought their reports will not be entitled to any compensation if the reports turn out to be wildy inaccurate (as they probably will be). I can’t help wondering who, if anyone, is buying these reports. In some cases, it may be managers who are looking to justify business decisions that they have made – or are planning to make. But if an expensive report turns out to be inaccurate, they are not likely to make the same mistake again. Thankfully, there still are some reports that deliver useful insights into particular markets. But how does a purchaser know which of the multitude of reports are worth paying for? It is interesting that some of the market research organisations that could previously be relied upon to produce insightful studies, have diversified into potentially more lucrative areas such as conferences and awards in the face of the intense competition that they are now experiencing. This is a pity because there is still a need for knowledgeable analyses of markets – especially in fast-moving and technologically complex areas such as automation. Tony Sacks, Editor Permanent remote control and operaƟon of machinery and systems Logic modules with and without display available Modularly expandable Available with 400 memory blocks Smart LOGO! Logic module with integrated web server from Siemens We are happy to advise you personally! 00800 24 2011 24 (free) +44 178 489 500 6 info@automaƟon 24 .co.uk www.automaƟon 24 .co.uk/ s iemens-logo Strong brands at AutomaƟon 24 UK SHIPPING FREE £106.72 Siemens LOGO! 12/24 RCE 6ED1052-1MD08-0BA0 Item number: 103710 for example: